City of Progress
by Connor the speling pro
Summary: New Pork City, the self-proclaimed city of progress, is shrouded in darkness. Under all of its splendor, New Pork is rife with poverty and crime, and even darker secrets are available to those who try to seek them... just what lies under the gilded prosperity of New Pork City? (Characters are a few years older than they are in their games) AU
1. Chapter 1: Wanted

**Updated on 5/3, not as many changes to this chapter as it actually worked on a fundamental level before the update. :)**

**Thank you for taking the time to read my fanfic. The characters come from the Mother series, but the plot is made up. The backstories of characters are not necessarily the same as in the games. Locations are also from the mother series but again may be different from the actual games, although I tried to preserve the feel of these places.**

* * *

_Nothing seems real. All is ethereal._

_Is this the start of a grand adventure? No…_

_It is the start of my never ending pain, pain borne from longing and isolation._

* * *

"I'm exhausted from all of this running," Lucas complained wearily, slouching in the filthy shack that he and Claus called "home".

"Really?" Claus replied, trying to seem upbeat. "I didn't think that you would be so worn out. We hardly had to move around at all this week." Claus felt somewhat obliged to take care of his younger brother Lucas. Whenever Lucas voiced a problem, Claus was quick to respond and give aid. "I mean, I don't want to imply that you _shouldn't _be tired, but…" Claus trailed off, unable to finish his lie.

Lucas shook his head. His hunched shoulders and sluggish movements gave off an aura of weariness. Claus was hypersensitive to body language like that.

"I don't mean physically, Claus," Lucas said. His depressed voice worried Claus. "But… how long can we live like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at where we are, Claus."

Claus stopped and looked around. The wooden shack had multiple leaks and seemed to be slowly falling apart. He heard the raindrops drip from the leak in the ceiling into the water pail in the center of the room. Drip… drip… drip… just like a heartbeat, omnipresent and easily forgotten about. The wind howled outside, causing Claus to shiver due to the air currents that leaked into their shack. In the corner of the room, two blankets lay messily on the filthy ground, serving as makeshift beds for the twins. Despite all of New Pork City's splendor, most of the city was poor. It made Claus miss his home in Tazmily dearly. He suspected that Lucas felt the same way.

"How long can we live like this?" Lucas asked again. "We're avoiding the pigmasks, but we aren't really _doing _anything. We can't find a steady source of income. Even if we could, I'm too weak to be able to handle the labor. You… have a better chance in this world without me, Claus."

Claus stomped on the ground in anger, causing Lucas to recoil.

"We are not talking about this again!" Claus shouted, probably louder than necessary.

"But…"

"I don't care if you have the best reason in the entire world. We are not talking about this!" Claus' expression softened as an idea entered his mind. He pondered it for a few seconds.

"I know," Claus said, more gently this time. "How about we go out to eat?"

"What?" Lucas squeaked. "We don't have that kind of money, Claus!"

"To hell with that," Claus said dismissively, unable to keep a smile from popping up on his face. "I'm tired of being stuck in this rotten little dump. Now come on, let's go!"

Claus picked up his jacket and all of the money that they had left.

"Claus, you can't!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Hey, you were the one that said that we needed to do something. I'm simply taking your suggestion," Claus replied, his wicked smile widening at Lucas' shock. He had forgotten how good it felt to interact with Lucas, even if all they were doing was arguing.

(Insert Line here)

"Stop acting so nervous, Lucas," Claus ordered, enjoying the superiority of being able to get Lucas to the restaurant more than was entirely healthy.

"I can't just stop being nervous, Claus," Lucas replied while fidgeting. "It's not that easy."

The restaurant that the twins were eating at was fairly low end (Claus had given into Lucas' pleas not to spend _too _much money), but it was still far nicer than where they lived. Electric lights lit up the room, masking the dreary world outside. Everyone seemed to be taking the lights for granted, but they amazed Claus every time that he saw them. Overall, the restaurant had a nice, relaxed atmosphere. People were chatting and laughing, kids were eagerly scarfing down food, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Claus sighed in relief, letting out the stress that constantly threatened to break his will.

_Claus. _What was that? Claus had sworn that he heard his name being spoken from inside of his head. He must be imagining things.

_Claus! _

"Who's there?" Claus asked, jolting up in his seat. People nearby stopped talking and turned their attention to him. Lucas blushed.

_Geez, could you make it any more obvious? The point of telepathic communication is so that nobody else hears what we're saying, _Claus heard in his mind.

Claus blinked. Telepathic communication? Who in the world could…? Claus looked across the table at Lucas, who was staring at him intently. Claus then put the pieces together. Lucas was the one sending telepathic messages, courtesy of his PSI. Both Lucas and Claus possessed these psychic powers, which is why they were hiding from the pigmasks in the first place. But how did Lucas know how to communicate telepathically? Neither he nor Claus had ever used telepathy of any sort before. Claus raised an eyebrow at Lucas, hopefully indicating his confusion in the matter.

_What's so eyebrow raise worthy? It's like you're surprised that we can communicate like this… wait, how can we do this? I've never used telepathy before. Why is this coming so naturally to me?_

Claus shrugged. Normally, new PSI abilities were easy to recognize, as they came with a fever. He had no idea how Lucas had instantly realized this power.

_I guess it doesn't really matter, _Lucas sent. Claus disagreed but kept his opinion to himself. _Anyways, the reason that I started telepathizing… wait, is that a real word? Um… I started sending messages to you because one of the pigmasks at the table over there is looking at us strangely._

So what? It was probably because they were kids and their parents were nowhere to be seen. Still, Claus decided to indulge Lucas' concern and looked over at the pigmask. Sure enough, the snout-nosed soldier was looking at them, but Claus couldn't read the expression under that silly mask. Claus shrugged at Lucas, indicating that he didn't think that it was a big deal. Pigmasks' fascist and pretentious nature caused them to stick their snouts in everyone else's business. Hopefully, this one would leave them alone. Lucas seemed relieved at Claus' lack of concern, but still looked anxious. He continued to fidget in his seat.

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. Lucas clamored to see the bill and Claus wouldn't let him, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. The pigmask had seemingly lost interest in the twins and Lucas was finally able to relax.

"Ah, that was nice," Claus said as they were walking back to their little shack. "We should do that more. We have to keep our spirits up somehow."

Lucas, however, looked anything but refreshed.

_The pigmask from the restaurant is following us,_ Claus heard in his mind. He stopped, trying to hide his surprise.

_We should casually duck into an alley, _Lucas continued. Claus was surprised by that message too. Lucas was the last one Claus would expect to risk the bloodthirsty alleys of New Pork City.

"Freeze!" the pigmask shouted in an authoritative voice.

Claus swore under his breath and stopped in his tracks, synchronized with Lucas' halt. The pigmask walked up and inspected them.

"Your names are Claus and Lucas, right?" the pigmask asserted.

"H-How did you know that?" Lucas stuttered.

"I'm Isaac from Tazmilly," the pigmask replied. Claus and Lucas both relaxed. Isaac was someone that they knew fairly well. "And I'm high in the ranks of master Porky's army, so I don't want to see any funny business from you."

"T-Thanks," Lucas managed to get out. "We'll keep that in mind."

Lucas turned to walk away, clearly wanting to escape this unnerving situation. Claus felt a pang of sadness. He hated seeing Lucas like this.

"Wait!" Isaac shouted. Lucas froze. "I'm not done with you kids yet."

"Well hurry it up," Claus snapped. "We're freezing our butts off here."

Issac eyed Claus sternly and then spoke: "You kids wouldn't happen to know PSI, would you?"

Damn! Issac knew about their files. What an unlucky streak. There wasn't much that they could do now. Since he knew of Claus' and Lucas' psychic powers, he wouldn't let them go free. The pigmasks were capturing kids with PSI abilities. Claus didn't know where they went, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that it probably wasn't good for those kids. Claus had seen reports saying that two boys had been captured already. Lucas and Claus looked to be the next two.

Lucas, however, seemed oblivious to the futility of their situation.

"N-N-No!" Lucas stammered. "We don't know about anything like that!"

He was a terrible liar. Isaac sighed and picked Lucas up.

"What are you doing to me?" Lucas asked in terror. Isaac responded by putting a gun up to Lucas' temple.

"Claus. Use PSI. Now," Isaac said without emotion.

"I don't have any whatchamacalit!" Claus exclaimed, adrenaline dispersing throughout his system, preparing him to leap into action. This was _not _good.

"Don't play dumb! If you don't use PSI in ten seconds, Lucas dies!" Isaac started counting down, showing no hesitation. "Ten, nine, eight…"

Claus could feel the tension in the air. He felt a cage of helplessness close around him! _NO! Not this, please… _Claus thought. _I can't… I can't go through this again! I promised myself that I would never be helpless again. Please, give me a way out!_

"Seven, six…"

Lucas' eyes were bulging with terror.

"Five…"

Claus couldn't let this happen, no matter what the cost to himself!

"Four…"

Claus snarled and produced a hexagonal spark above his hand, showing that he could indeed use PSI. Lucas was reduced to quiet tears by this point. Isaac gave Claus a businesslike nod and ordered for him to follow, but Claus barely heard the words. _Will I always be helpless to save the people that I love? Is there no way out for me? _he wondered.

* * *

Isaac offered condolences to Claus, who didn't register the words. Claus was too focused on his own weakness. There should have been a way out for him! Claus shook his head. They were in some sort of flying machine now, but Claus didn't notice his surroundings.

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, averting his eyes from Claus' harsh gaze.

"Sorry for what?" Claus asked in a cold tone.

"I got captured and forced you into a harsh situation," Lucas explained in a self-loathing voice.

"That wasn't your fault."

"But…"

"Just leave me alone," Claus interjected, turning away from his heartbroken twin.

Eventually, Claus and Lucas were forced out of the flying machine (Claus thought that Issac called it a "helicopter," but he didn't care enough to make sure). A boy about the same age as Claus stood at the entrance to the building. Claus barely registered his blond hair and glasses that made him appear geeky at first glance.

"Hello, my name is Jeff Andonuts, and I…"

Claus shoved him out of the way.

"I don't care who you are," Claus said icily and walked through the door behind Jeff, slamming it behind him.

Claus vaguely recalled hearing Lucas talk with Jeff and had no recollection of how he ended up in the room that he was supposedly staying in. The room was gorgeous. Flashy, neon lights lined every wall of the room, and lavish decorations were placed all around. A chandelier hanging from above, chairs lined with velvet, even one of those fancy oven things that could heat up food, it was all there. Robots patrolled the room, minding their own business. Yes, the room was fancy and lavish. It made Claus want to puke.

Claus crawled into bed and was about to turn the lights off (this room had electrical lights!) when Lucas entered, a grim look of determination on his face.

"Claus," Lucas said. "You're holding the pain in. I can see it in you. This rage that you feel… you're letting it simmer. Eventually, you will start to boil and explode like a volcano, molten words flowing freely from your explosive mouth. You can't live like that!"

"You don't understand how I feel," Claus said dismissively.

"Exactly," Lucas said. Seeing the shock on Claus' face, Lucas explained: "I don't understand you. But… you need _someone_ to understand you, someone to connect with you. You taught me that. When I felt that all was lost, you made an effort to learn how I felt. That saved me, Claus. Please, let me in. Explain everything to me."

"It's not that easy," Claus whispered.

"I'm not saying that it's easy," Lucas replied, genuine concern written on his face. "But I was able to do it. You don't want to be outdone by your little brother, do you?" Lucas asked impishly.

Claus smiled.

"Oh, it's on now!" he exclaimed, not even noticing how quickly he had turned from depressed to eager.

Lucas laughed at Claus' competitive pride.

"Well, for starters, I should climb into bed with you. I feel that we will have a long night ahead of us…" Lucas trailed off. Claus nodded in approval.

Claus spent hours talking with Lucas about his inner turmoil. He recounted memories long forgotten and explained the dull rage inside of him that he hadn't even noticed until that moment. Lucas listened intently to every word, catching every implication. By the end of those hours, Claus felt exhausted from all of that talking, but even more than that he felt relieved and rejuvenated.

After taking off his mantle of suffering, Claus felt at peace for the first time since arriving in New Pork City.

* * *

**I know that this first chapter is fairly long, but I wanted to introduce a character that wasn't from Mother 3. Lucas and Claus are amazing, but they are used very often as far as fanfics go. I promise that I will expand the horizons of this story to include more Earthbound/ Mother 1 characters.**

**Please write a review if you want to highlight what was good/ bad about this fanfic. I'm a fairly new writer, so I need all of the help that I can get and I really want to improve my writing. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2: Test Subjects

_I fear that I am going insane, which is why I write these words. I hope that if I fall over the edge into insanity's cleansing waters, someone will read this and understand who I am._

_But…_

_That hope is foolish, for there is nobody else in this prison who will ever know who I am. I suppose that I write these words to keep myself company._

_Because I have nothing else._

* * *

Claus and Lucas had decided that if the pigmasks meant to do them any harm, they wouldn't have provided the luxury of a private room. Still, Claus couldn't help but worry through the night and again in the morning. Everything was just so… different. He missed the sounds of birds chirping in the morning from when he lived in Tazmily.

A robot entered the room, displaying the time. It was 7:00, which Claus guessed meant that it was time to get up.

"You have been selected to participate in a school for children capable of using PSI," The robot said in a clichéd robotic voice. "Your attendance at breakfast is required in 30 minutes."

"See Lucas, it's just a school!" Claus exclaimed, partly to relieve himself as well as Lucas. "Sure, it will probably bore us out of our minds, but at least we will be safe."

Lucas furrowed his brow.

"A school for people that use PSI? Think about it, Claus. Don't you think that it could be some kind of military school? I don't want to help the pigmasks kill innocent people."

Claus forced a cough to hide his discomfort. He hadn't thought about that.

"Well, even if it is, there's nothing that we can do about it now. Come on, let's get ready and grab something to eat. I'm starving," Claus said hastily, trying to divert attention away from unpleasant topics. Lucas nodded in agreement.

The robot guided them to the cafeteria. On the way there, Claus saw Jeff, the kid that he had shoved yesterday. Jeff noticed Claus and made eye contact.

"Jeff," Claus said, feeling an overwhelming sense of shame. "I'm… sorry about what I did to you earlier."

"It's quite all right," Jeff replied in surprise. "You had just been abducted. I'm sure that you weren't acting like you normally would under those extreme circumstances…"

"My situation doesn't justify my actions," Claus responded in a somehow melancholy tone. "But… I'm glad that you consider my actions more forgivable due to my situation. Thank you."

Jeff nodded awkwardly, and Claus salvaged some respect for him. Claus didn't think that _he_ would be so easy to forgive someone who had so rudely shoved him just a day earlier. Claus smiled sincerely at Jeff.

_Aw… that's sweet, _Claus received. Startled, he jumped and turned to Lucas, who was wearing a bashful smile. Claus still hadn't gotten used to receiving telepathic messages. He shot a glare at Lucas, which just made him giggle.

"Let's hurry up and get to breakfast before this master of subtlety and humor over here sends me any more telepathic messages," Claus complained, causing Lucas to laugh out loud. Jeff smiled as well, having guessed what had transpired between the twins. _Why does it feel like everyone's making fun of me? _Claus thought.

The hallway to the cafeteria was fairly short, so Claus luckily didn't have to deal with any more of Lucas' "humor." The cafeteria itself was quite large and had gaudy decorations similar to the ones in their room. Despite its size, however, there were only two humans sitting down amidst a plethora of robots. Both of them were also boys about the same age as Claus and Lucas. They wore baseball caps and striped shirts, and their raven-colored hair and charcoal eyes made them look very similar.

Lucas and Claus approached the two boys.

"Are you two brothers like us?" Claus asked innocently.

"Brothers? I'm frankly aghast that you would lump me with a loser like him," one of the boys replied, although he didn't seem aghast at all. His playful smile indicated that he wasn't being serious. "I'm Ninten and this is Ness. And you are the new students, yes?"

Claus nodded.

"I'm Claus and this is Lucas," Claus explained, doing his best to be polite.

Lucas nodded hello nervously.

"Welcome to the gang," Ness said casually, who was playing around with a yo-yo but still managing to keep his full attention on Claus and Lucas. "Here, have a seat. You can order pretty much anything you want from the robots, so far as food goes. This place is nice like that."

"You bet," Ninten concurred enthusiastically. He flipped an Oreo like a coin and caught it in his mouth. "Ta-dah!"

"You know, maybe you should take up an occupation as a seal," Ness joked. "I know a couple of aquariums around here that are accepting job applications…"

"You're just jealous," Ninten huffed.

"Yes, that's it," Ness said ironically. "I'm jealous that you put several hours of work into learning a thoroughly useless skill."

Claus smiled. Ness and Ninten seemed to be nice enough.

"Let's sit down, Lucas," he said. "Jeff, do you want to…" Claus paused, noticing that Jeff was nowhere to be seen.

"That kid?" Ninten asked with a mocking laugh. "He's not allowed to join us. This is the PSI kids' table."

Claus was taken aback.

"Just because he can't use PSI doesn't mean that he's that much different from us," Claus asserted defensively.

Ninten laughed like it was some kind of joke and Ness eyed Claus seriously.

"PSI makes us fundamentally different from other people, whether we like it or not," Ness said. "Jeff will never be able to understand who we are. We're better off on our own."

Claus raised his eyebrow in skepticism, but Ness and Ninten had already moved on. Claus and Lucas sat down at the table and ordered omelets. Ness and Ninten produced some more lighthearted conversation. Claus tried to join in, but his heart wasn't in it. Lucas remained silent.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Dr. Andonuts, and I will be your instructor here at this school," an old, balding man announced to Claus and Lucas. Ness and Ninten were also present.

Claus eyed Dr. Andonuts. He seemed to be… a bit out there. Claus imagined him as being someone who would rather waste time contemplating useless abstractions than doing something productive. Still, he didn't seem mean or cruel… perhaps this place wasn't so bad.

It turned out that their first "class" was simply testing out some of Dr. Andonuts' inventions. All of these inventions were powered by psychic energy, so the students were supposed to channel their power into a device in order to get it to work.

Claus should have known that it wouldn't have been that easy.

The first machine that they had to use was a bulky jetpack attached to a helmet. Ness and Ninten were absolutely giddy when Dr. Andonuts announced that they would be using these. They were clearly masters with these machines; they took off soaring through the giant test room trying to crash into each other.

_I bet that's not safe, _Lucas sent. Claus was forced to agree. He wasn't normally one to decline challenges, but flying around wildly like Ness and Ninten was _scary._

Still, Claus couldn't deny that being able to fly with nothing but the power of his mind would be pretty awesome. He decided to try it out. Claus put on the jetpack-helmet, closed his eyes, and focused his mind on one thing: flying. He wouldn't let his mind deviate from that one concept. After struggling for a few minutes, Claus still felt nothing. He gave up and opened his eyes… and then realized that he was eight feet off the ground. In surprise, Claus lost his concentration and fell to the ground. He felt a rush of agony when he hit the cold, metal floor beneath him, and was unable to keep from crying out in pain. Lucas rushed over to him and used PK Lifeup. The pain was still present, but the Lifeup power would restore any damage dealt to his body.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked.

In response, Claus jumped up and smiled.

"Of course I'm okay," Claus replied, doing his best to hide the pain. He knew that if he appeared weak here, he would _never _be able to get Lucas into one of those things.

"Hmm…" Dr. Andonuts mused. "That was not proper protocol. Trying that out on your own was reckless."

Claus shrugged an apology.

Dr. Andonuts then had robots instruct Claus and Lucas, giving them lessons on how to fly that really took all of the fun out of it. By the end of the session (which was several hours), Claus felt annoyed and mentally fatigued. Ness and Ninten remained upbeat and energetic, conversing all of the way to their next lesson… which also happened to be a letdown.

"Allow me to present to you… the illusion machine!" Dr. Andonuts announced.

The illusion machines were also helmets that apparently conducted psychic energy. Ness and Ninten seemed far less excited about this machine, and it quickly became clear why.

Claus focused his entire mind on conjuring simple images using the machine, but was never able to keep them from changing. Butterflies flashed slightly different colors each second, doors couldn't stick with the placement of their doorknobs, and even keeping a piece of paper constant was a challenge. The lack of success frustrated Claus; more than once he thought about smashing the machine against the steel walls out of anger.

"What's the point of all of these machines?" Claus asked Dr. Andonuts. "I mean, they're not that useful if only four people in the world can use them."

"The point, my dear boy, is not their immediate usefulness," Dr. Andonuts replied, seemingly distracted by an important-looking document. "You see, the frontier of psionics is unexplored. If psychic power can create illusions or cause flight, who knows what else it could do? Could it cure cancer? Could it be used to travel through time? The answers to these questions are what I seek."

_Oh, _Claus realized. _We're just test subjects. _But at least they were honored test subjects… right? Claus looked over at Ninten and Ness. To his surprise, Jeff was also present there. It seemed that he was trying to fix one of the illusion machines. It appeared that Ness and Ninten were treating Jeff like one of the robots, ordering him around in a superior tone of voice. That nearly made Claus' blood boil. How could people so playful and kind also be so cruel?

* * *

That's exactly what Lucas and Claus discussed in their room after dinner.

"I don't know about you," Lucas said, "But I… kind of like Ninten and Ness. Some of their characteristics, at least."

"Yeah," Claus replied. "They seemed nice to us…"

Lucas nodded.

"They helped me work with the illusion machine. They were supportive and eager. Those seem like such wonderful attributes. But…"

"The way that they treat Jeff disturbs me," Claus finished.

"Exactly. It makes me wonder how they can be so warm and kind to us and so dismissive and cold to Jeff. Not only that, but the category that they are judging him by isn't something that he can even control. It's not his fault that he can't use PSI!"

Claus had no response to that.

"There's another thing I need to talk to you about," Lucas said seriously. "I… think that you should learn how to send telepathic messages too. I'm pretty sure that I can show you how to do it."

Claus smiled wickedly.

"Aw, yeah. Time for some payback for all of those times that you surprised me!"

"Claus, this is serious! We need to be able to talk to each other in a way that nobody else can hear. I don't trust Ness and Ninten."

"They seemed nice enough towards us. I really don't think that we have to worry about them in that regard, Lucas."

"Claus, if Jeff died, do you think that Ness and Ninten would care? Even a little?"

A sinking feeling entered Claus' heart. From what he had seen of Ness and Ninten, it seemed like they wouldn't care at all if someone without PSI abilities died. He looked downward and said nothing.

"Exactly," Lucas continued. "They don't care at all about most of New Pork City's population. What if someone were to convince them that they shouldn't care about us, either? I'm half convinced that they are already reporting everything about us to the pigmasks."

Claus still remained silent. Finally, he spoke up: "You're right. We do need to communicate in secret. Let's get started."

Lucas trained Claus in the art of telepathic messaging for hours. Claus felt that he had the hang of it by the end, but he wasn't really focused on the lesson. Lucas' words disturbed him. Even after the lights were turned off, one question lingered in Claus' mind, refusing to leave him alone.

Just who were Ness and Ninten?

* * *

***Updated on 5/6 (I was surprised how many simple spelling/grammar mistakes there were DX).**

**Hello, and thank you for taking the time to read my fanfic. I promised that I would add in more Earthbound/ Mother 1 characters, and here they are! However, their personality is a bit… different from what it is in their games. I have a reason for this, trust me!**

**Also, please review my writing if you want to. I feel that this is one of my worse works, as it is out of my comfort zone. I tried to set up some intrigue, but I'm not sure how well I actually pulled that off. Thanks! **

**One last thing, I promise. I didn't put a disclaimer in Ch. 1, so here it is: I don't own any of the characters or locations in this story. The only thing that I own is the plot (I'm only going to say this once because I don't want to keep typing it out every chapter and I don't think that you want to keep reading it).**


	3. Chapter 3: New Kid

_When I talk about prison, I do not speak literally. Rather, the land that I am in is vast… and oddly familiar. However, it is this familiarity that repulses me so. This world is similar to mine, but is just different enough to make me feel like I'm missing something. It is like a robot that looks almost like a human, but has enough subtle differences to register in our minds as "creepy." This world, while expansive, feels empty to me. _

_In this wide open land, I have never before felt so trapped._

_In this densely populated world, I have never before felt so alone._

**(ILH)**

"Hey, guess what?" Ness asked, characteristically excited.

"No idea," Claus replied. "What is it?"

Ness sighed.

"That's not a guess, Claus. Lucas, do you have a guess?"

"We get to use a cool new machine?" Lucas offered.

"Good guess," Ness replied with a light smile, "But no. There's a new student arriving today!"

Right after Ness' announcement, a pink haired girl wearing a blue jacket and gloves started walking down the hallway. She looked downright furious; her clenched fists and fiery eyes that seared the steel floor floor could attest to that. She didn't seem to notice that there were people standing in front of her. Unfortunately, she bumped into Lucas, who himself was not aware of her presence. She scowled at him, causing Lucas took a step back in fear.

"You're in my way, kid," the girl said venomously and proceeded to shove Lucas against the hard, metal wall. Claus could feel the anger rising in _his _system now. Nobody pushed his little brother around and got away with it. Not on Claus' watch.

"What gives you the right to treat him like that?" Claus demanded, ignoring the part of his mind that told him not to mess with someone so angry. "Who do you think that you are, going around shoving anyone that you please?"

The girl turned her death glare to Claus. That glare was _scary! _Claus had to make a conscious effort not to let out a scream.

_You may have made a mistake there, _Lucas sent.

_No shit, Sherlock, _Claus sent back. He gave the girl a confident look that masked his fear.

The girl walked up to Claus, who tried and failed to match her glare. She sneered and shoved him in the chest, causing him to fall to the floor.

"I _can_ shove anyone I want, thanks," she said in a superior tone.

Claus' anger began to boil.

_For the record, this is how being bullied feels, _Lucas sent, but Claus barely registered the message. He got up and clenched his fists. With a shout, he charged forward and shoved her, sending her sprawling on the metal floor. Faster than Claus could believe, she was back on her feet and fumed with anger even more than she had before, if that was possible. Claus' anger fled him, only leaving him with fear. Running away did not seem like a bad option right now…

"What is the meaning of this!" Dr. Andonuts shouted. Claus hadn't even noticed that he was there. "What are you two doing?"

"They were engaged in a minor scuffle," Ness explained casually. "They just shoved each other. No biggie."

Ness' explanation lacked the brutal intensity of the girl's death stare, which seemed to be making Dr. Andonuts uncomfortable.

"Shame on you, Claus," Dr. Andonuts said. "That's no way to be treating a young lady."

Claus couldn't tell if he or the girl was more annoyed by that comment.

"Oh, so because she's a girl I can't defend myself? Your logic is infallible, doctor," Claus said with sarcastic venom in his voice.

"Oh, so because I lack a Y chromosome, I should be exempt from anything that might cause me to stub my pinkie? Get real, gramps!" The girl exclaimed.

"I think," Ness started calmly, "That these two should be separated for the time being. They just need some time to cool off. Dr. Andonuts, would you mind taking this girl away?"

Dr. Andonuts snapped back into reality after being given a lashing by Claus and the girl. He nodded and led the girl away.

_Good job Claus, standing up against female gender roles, _Lucas sent. _The feminists would be so proud._

_Gah! _Claus sent back. _I didn't mean it like that…_

_Yes you did, which is why you are getting so defensive now._

_Shut up, _Claus sent, knowing that Lucas was right.

Lucas giggled.

_It's just so entertaining to have your anger directed at someone other than me for once! _Lucas sent eagerly. _Seriously, though, thanks for sticking up for me. I really appreciate it._

Claus felt a warm, comforting feeling wash over him when Lucas expressed his thanks. It felt so good to help the people that he loved… and it felt so painful when he couldn't. Claus shook his head. He would _not _think about that now.

"We should go to the cafeteria," Ness said with a knowing smile. "Breakfast doesn't eat itself, you know?"

_I would be a bit disturbed if it did, _Lucas sent. Claus couldn't help but smile. For being prisoners, Claus and Lucas were certainly enjoying their time here.

**(ILH)**

The girl walked in while the psychic kids were eating breakfast. She looked sullen but didn't wear a murderous glare this time. That was a good start.

"Your name," Lucas peeped nervously. "Is it… Kumatora?"

The girl flinched in shock.

"How did you know?" She inquired. Thankfully, she had taken the venom out of her words.

Lucas shrugged.

"I don't really know. It's just that… whenever I look at you, the word 'Kumatora' pops into my head."

"Hmm, that's interesting," Kumatora replied. "I don't recall ever having seen you before…" she shook her head. "I guess that it doesn't really matter. I… came here to apologize. I'm sorry for what I did to you, Lucas and Claus." Noting their surprise, she added: "Dr. Andonuts told me your names. That's how I know."

Claus wasn't surprised that she knew their names; he was surprised that she was apologizing! How could someone so enraged be so calm a few minutes later? He blinked and remembered when he had pushed Jeff out of anger two days ago. He had been completely calm just a few minutes later after he started talking with Lucas.

Lucas seemed to be thinking the same thing. _You two have so much in common already, _he sent. _I guess she's your type, huh?_

_Shut up, _Claus sent back with a scowl, which just provoked a smile from Lucas. Claus had never realized how sassy Lucas would be when he knew that only Claus could hear. He behaved… just like everyone else.

"Yeah, Ness told me all about the incident," Ninten chimed in with a cocky smile. "You are one vicious girl! Is it your time of month or something?"

Kumatora responded by striding up to Ninten and punching him in the eye. Claus flinched at the sheer power of Kumatora's fist. He shuddered, thinking how close he had been to being on the receiving end of such an attack. Kumatora smiled cockily back at Ninten and cracked her knuckles. Ninten moaned in pain like clichéd ghosts in the movies.

"Man, it feels good punching someone who deserves it!" Kumatora exclaimed.

Claus laughed, mostly because it was true, which earned him a smile from Kumatora. It seemed like there were no hard feelings left between them.

"That's not true," Ninten groaned. "I did not deserve that. Don't encourage her, Claus."

Claus just laughed even harder.

"You had it coming, Ninten. You should know that there are some questions that you should _never _ask."

At that point, a man wearing foreign attire entered, followed by a collared monkey.

"Listen up, kids!" The man shouted in a tone that brooked no argument. "My name is Fassad, and I will be your military trainer at this school. Don't expect me to go easy on you, either! I've heard that some students have been talking back to Dr. Andonuts. I'll have you all know that I won't tolerate that _in the slightest,_" he finished with a hiss.

_See? _Lucas sent. _Military camp. _Claus felt a sinking feeling enter his system and subconsciously slouched, feeling the weight of yet another stone on his back.

To their credit, Ness and Ninten looked confused, indicating that this was a first for them as well. Kumatora kept her face emotionless. Lucas fidgeted nervously.

"Military trainer?" Ness asked.

"Are you stupid?" Fassad asked. "Do I have to say everything twice? King Porky has announced that he wishes for you to train by fighting chimeras. You will be among the first to see our chimera prototypes. Consider it to be an honor."

Ness raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Claus had originally thrown Ness into the same category as Ninten, but he began to see that he was mistaken. Ninten would have talked back to Fassad while Ness rationed his words. Ninten was impulsive; Ness only appeared to be impulsive.

Ninten proved Claus' point further with his next words: "I think that I just got some military experience a couple of minutes ago. May I be exempt from the lesson today?" he asked, nursing the eye that Kumatora had punched earlier.

Kumatora and Claus laughed, while Ness just stared intently at Fassad. That was surprising; Ness would be the first one that Claus would expect to laugh at a statement like that from Ninten. Lucas was looking at the monkey standing near Fassad.

"Do you think that this is funny?" Fassad snarled. Claus and Kumatora fell silent.

"We'll see who's laughing when you kids are stuck in the chimera pit," Fassad snickered, and Claus felt a wave of dread pass over the students.

* * *

***Updated on 5/6**

**As always, thank you for taking the time to read my writing. I know that the plot is progressing slowly, but I do not want to risk under explaining key characters. I felt that it was very important to introduce Kumatora and Fassad in a meaningful way. I hope that you still enjoyed it! Readers are more than welcome to write reviews; it really helps me out as a writer to know what I need to improve on. **

**Also, I'm going to change up POVs a bit, the next chapter will include a Lucas POV (I know that he's overused, but he's the only character who I can write a POV for without revealing anything that I don't want to).**

**I think that I will post new chapters once every three days (at least for a while).**


	4. Chapter 4: Unexplained Knowledge

_How naïve I was, to think myself invincible! That, I believe, is the state of a content human. Nobody, after overcoming challenges such as mine, expects to be defeated. I assumed that after I had overcome the sorrow that threatened to drive me insane, I would be immune to pain. Little did I know that I would soon face a much greater enemy: solitude._

_Solitude… _

_Even writing that word sends a pang of longing into my heart. Feeling truly alone is the worst fate that I have experienced thus far. And I have experienced much…_

* * *

Anxiety had always been one of Lucas' harshest enemies. The dull, nauseating feeling of knowing that something bad was about to happen and _not being able to do anything about it_ made Lucas want to curl up into a ball. That was how he felt right now, mentally preparing himself to be tossed into the chimera pit.

_Are you okay? _Claus sent telepathically. _You seem worried._

_I'm fine, _Lucas lied.

_You can tell me how you feel. Nobody else will know. _

Lucas sighed.

_I have butterflies in my stomach. I want to barf just thinking about what will happen to us. However, I can't do anything to control what's going to happen, and I know that there's nothing that you can do to help. That's why I didn't want to bother you._

_If you know that you can't control what's going to happen, shouldn't you just… not worry about it?_

_It's not that simple, Claus. _

Jeff led the way into the weapons and armor room. Lucas wasn't sure what he expected to see, but reality failed his nonexistent expectations.

A bunch of "weapons" were hung on the wall. Most of them were little more than toys. The "armor" that was present didn't seem protective at all.

"What a nice assortment of baseball bats, frying pans, sticks, bracelets, charms, and smelly shirts," Ninten noted ironically. "This is a garage sale, yes? Our weapons are in the next rooms, right?"

Jeff fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Umm… master Fassad has restricted you to weapons and armor from this room," he stuttered.

"What the hell!" Kumatora shouted. "You've got to be kidding me. That little bastard… is this his idea of a joke?"

"He did say imply that he would be the one laughing," Ness explained evenly with a heavy shake of his head. "For our own safety, we should try not to anger him anymore, if possible."

Kumatora laughed like it was a joke, but Ness' face was deadly serious.

_Ness is acting different from yesterday, _Lucas sent to Claus.

_I know, _Claus replied. _It makes me uneasy, but we have bigger issues. _

Lucas nodded, turning to the rest of the students. They were talking to each other, and not about which gear to choose.

"There's no point in whining about it," Lucas piped in, trying not to make his voice crack. He always felt nervous when talking to people. "We should just choose equipment, scrawny as it may be."

Jeff nodded in thanks. He clearly did not enjoy dealing with dissatisfied PSI kids.

"I have found the optimal assortment of defensive gear," Jeff said, handing each of them a shirt, charm, and bracelet.

"It's not going to make a difference anyway," Ninten snorted.

"Don't be rude," Claus chided, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Lucas took his equipment graciously and thanked Jeff, who seemed to appreciate the acknowledgement.

Next, the students had to choose weapons. Ninten and Ness picked out baseball bats, while Kumatora refused to pick anything.

"I think that I'm just going to use my trusty hands and gloves to beat the living crap out of these chimeras," she asserted.

"Can't blame you there," Ninten muttered while tending to his black eye.

_Really? Living crap? Does such a thing exist? _Lucas sent to Claus.

_It's for emphasis, _Claus replied. _It's like swearing, but without the swearing part._

_I believe swearing – swearing = 0. Did I do the math right?_

_Shut up. You know what I mean._

_I'm just trying to get my daily dose of trolling in. Come on, let's pick from this mighty assortment of horrifying weapons._

Lucas and Claus eventually chose and armed themselves with sticks.

"Ooh," Ninten said, "You're fighting with a…"

"If you make a joke about private parts," Kumatora interrupted, "I will give you another black eye."

"Heh," Ninten chuckled nervously. "What makes you think that I would do that?"

Claus laughed, exchanging smiles with Kumatora. Lucas couldn't understand his brother's reaction. In Lucas' book, joking about punching someone, serious or not, was not funny.

* * *

It turns out that the chimeras were just a combination of two different animals. Whether it was a horse with spider legs, a cow with a snake's body for a neck, or a plant with pig heads instead of flowers, they all looked silly and impractical.

The arena itself looked rather natural, although it was clearly inside of a building. Grass fully covered the ground. The arena felt somewhat like a maze, with large rock formations hiding many locations from view.

"Man, I thought that the equipment room was Fassad's idea of a joke," Kumatora scoffed. "That guy has an odd sense of humor."

"Fassad isn't in charge of chimera creation," Ness said.

_How does he know that? _Claus asked. Lucas sent a telepathic shrug in reply.

"They all look tragic," Ninten commented in mock sympathy.

"Guys," Lucas whispered. "We shouldn't speak so loudly. The chimeras might hear us. We need to find a place to hide and discuss strategy."

Lucas was surprised at the words that came out of his mouth. He had never handled adversity well, but here he seemed to be the only one thinking logically. The rest of the students blinked in surprise but followed Lucas after realizing that he was probably right.

Lucas led the group and found a small area that was hidden from plain view. _What's gotten into you? _Claus sent. _I didn't think that you would take charge of the group. No offense, but you never seemed to be the "leader" type. _Lucas paused. Why was he suddenly so confident? _Let's talk about it after the battle, _Lucas sent back. Claus nodded.

"All right," Lucas whispered. "These chimeras are stupid. The best way to beat them is to sneak up on them one at a time. If we get the jump on them, the battle will be a piece of cake. We need to make sure to go after lone chimeras because we probably don't want to be fighting multiple foes at once."

"How do you know that the chimeras are stupid and that sneaking up on them is the way to go?" Kumatora asked suspiciously.

Lucas paused. How _did _he know that? He cocked his head and searched through his library of memories, but nothing popped up.

"I told him," Ness said. Everyone turned their attention to him. "Lucas was asking about the kinds of enemies that we would have to face while we were in the bathroom, so I told him some information to placate him. My dad works in the chimera labs and sometimes slips me some info. Lucas' assessment is accurate. We should follow his advice, I feel."

_Wow, Ness really told you that? _Claus sent in wonder.

_No, he's lying, _Lucas replied. But why would Ness cover for him?

"You told Lucas and not me?" Ninten asked, faking outrage. "I thought that we were friends!"

Ness smiled.

"You didn't ask," he replied without missing a beat.

"All right then, let's do this!" Kumatora declared.

"We should cast some support PSI before we enter battle," Lucas asserted. "Defense…" Lucas paused.

"Why did you pause?" Kumatora asked. "You're right. We need defense and offense buffs."

"I was worried that I would appear selfish if I buffed myself first," Lucas lied, surprised at how naturally it came to him. The truth was that he was about to use Defense Up Omega, an ability which _he hadn't yet learned. _

Kumatora snorted.

"Don't be stupid. Even if you can't cast it on one of us and he or she dies, it's no biggie." Everyone stared at her, wide-eyed. "What? It's not like there's much of a point to living if we're going to be stuck here for our entire lives," she finished bluntly.

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Claus asked.

"Why would I be?" Kumatora answered. "They say that our spirits move on after our death, right?"

Kumatora's logic made a kind of cold, harsh sense. It terrified Lucas.

"Luckily, we have a practical solution," Ness interjected. "Ninten and I can cast supportive PSI as well as Lucas. Between the three of us, we will easily have enough power to provide proper support."

The plan was executed perfectly. The five students were easily able to separate and sneak up on the chimeras one at a time, giving them only enough time to widen their eyes in surprise before they fell. It was an easy victory.

* * *

Claus and Kumatora were sitting at a separate dinner table from Ness and Ninten. Lucas wasn't sure why that made him sad, but it did. Ness greeted Lucas on sight.

"Good job out there today," Ness complimented emotionlessly.

"You too," Lucas replied politely.

"I'm impressed that you were able to formulate a strategy based on the information that I gave you," Ness stated, asking the real question with his inquisitive eyes: _How did you know about the chimeras? _

"T-Thanks," Lucas stuttered and backed away, nervously. What was going on in Ness' head? Was Ninten also hiding a different personality under a cheery façade? Questions, questions…

Lucas went over and sat down next to Claus, who along with Kumatora also complimented Lucas.

"Kumatora," Lucas started. "That monkey that was following Fassad… have you seen it before?"

"No," Kumatora replied. "Why?"

"I was just curious," Lucas lied. "It looked at you a particular way."

The truth was that Lucas had another _feeling _about Kumatora and the monkey, similar to when he was able to guess Kumatora's name. But… this _feeling_ was wrong. Lucas thought about all of his bizarre experiences and unexplained knowledge during dinner while Kumatora and Claus talked.

* * *

Claus sat in his lavish room, curious to hear what Lucas had to say about all of the recent changes that happened to him.

"You promised that we could talk about this after we got out of the chimera pit," Claus reminded Lucas.

"I'm telling you, I don't know how I knew about the chimeras," Lucas replied, almost pleadingly.

"It's not just that," Claus said. "You were hardly tired at all after all of that physical exertion, while the rest of us were panting like dogs. I'm sorry if I sound like a nag, but… I don't see how it's possible for you to feel no fatigue after fighting."

Lucas threw his hands up in annoyance.

"I don't see how it's possible either! But it's happening to me, and that's a fact."

Claus could tell when Lucas was lying, so he knew for certain that Lucas was sincere with his words.

"And you have absolutely no idea why this is happening to you?" Claus asked, looking for a confirmation.

Lucas bit his lip.

"Actually, I do have one idea."

"Let's hear it."

"I don't think that it's right though…"

"I don't care. An idea that's probably wrong is better than no idea."

"You'll laugh."

"I promise that I won't."

Lucas signed in defeat.

"All right. I think that… maybe… all of this could be the work of a greater entity."

That idea did seem to be a bit far-fetched. Claus didn't let that opinion show on his face, however. He didn't want to hurt Lucas' feelings.

"Like… god?" Claus offered.

"No, I don't think so. Some of the information that I get is false. I don't think that god would lie to me."

Man, this just got a lot more complicated. Still, it made sense on several levels. For starters, it would explain why Lucas appeared to be physically changed as well as mentally. But what kind of entity could and would interact with Lucas like that? Claus shook his head. The twins decided at that point that there was no more use in contemplation of the abstract and went to sleep.

* * *

Next morning, Lucas walked out of his room to find Claus, Kumatora, and Jeff conversing. Kumatora looked annoyed but downtrodden. Lucas also noticed that she had dark circles under her eyes. Had she been losing sleep over something?

"All right, I'll tell you what's been bothering me, but I promise that you won't like it," Kumatora said grumpily.

"Thank you," Claus replied.

"Lucas… is going to die soon."

* * *

***Updated on 5/7.**

**Thanks as always for reading! As you can see, I sometimes like to use cliffhangers. Sorry if you really hate that stuff. I'm trying to speed up the plot by cutting out scenes from future chapters, but there's so much that I want to say. Overall, I'm planning for this story to have about 20 chapters, which probably means that it will actually have about 30 chapters. I feel like every writer writes more than they expect to on a story, and I'm no exception! Also, I would like to make it clear that the cryptic messages at the beginning of each chapter DO have a meaning and WILL tie into the plot. I wouldn't want you to think that I was rambling just to troll my readers. :)**

**As always, reviews are more than welcome and would really help me out.**


	5. Chapter 5: Fate

_I wonder if insanity is a psychological defense against loneliness. _

_It makes sense; when someone collapses from the agony of being alone, their mind creates false voices to keep that person company. In the same way that a doctor that sees hundreds of patients die grows callous, a person who is alone for too long falls into insanity's cleansing waters. _

_Time can wear down even the hardest of us._

_Eventually, the doctor is unable to take the pain from watching people die. Eventually, someone who is alone is unable to take the pain of solitude. These people learn to cope by becoming emotionally detached or insane, depending on their ailment._

_It's what we do._

* * *

Lucas froze upon hearing Kumatora's words.

_I… am going to die soon? _He wondered, trying to work out this overwhelming concept in his mind. Death. What did it truly mean to die? Before, Lucas had viewed it as something abstract, something that happened to _other people. _But now, the full implications of death hit him square in the chest. He would never be able to sit on a hill in Tazmilly and watch the golden sun set with Claus again. He would never be able to play fetch with his dog Boney on a blue-skied afternoon ever again. He would never be able to look up into his father's caring eyes and know that everything would be all right ever again. He would never be able to visit his mother's grey tombstone and cry over all of the fond memories that he shared with her ever again. He would never…

"What in the world makes you say that?" Claus sputtered. "Lucas isn't going to die! Not on my watch."

Kumatora looked away to the cold, steel wall behind her.

"You do know what the word 'psychic' means, right?" she asked.

Claus blinked, which indicated that his answer to that question was a resounding "no."

"You can predict the future?" Jeff asked skeptically.

Kumatora nodded sadly.

"It is my burden to bear. I mostly see deaths, although sometimes I see… other things. I shouldn't have told you about Lucas."

"We can change the future!" Claus shouted. "There's no way we are just going to lie down and let this happen… right?"

Nobody spoke. That was an answer in itself.

"My predictions have never been wrong before," Kumatora finally whispered, and it looked like _tears _were coming to her eyes. _Kumatora? Crying? I must be imagining things, _Lucas thought.

"Hmm… How many times have you accurately predicted something?" Jeff inquired.

"W-What?" Kumatora was caught off guard by the question.

"I know that your predictions have never been wrong, but how many times have they been right?"

"Six," Kumatora replied, furrowing her brow in confusion. "Why?"

"That's too small of a sample size to be certain that the future cannot be changed," Jeff asserted, keeping his tone calm. "It is possible that the future _can _be changed and that it just _wasn't_ for those six cases. We should not give up hope."

Kumatora seemed to brighten up a bit.

"Really?" She asked. "Do you really think that we can change our fates?"

"Anything's possible," Jeff replied, although he himself didn't look particularly confident. "There's no harm in trying."

_Unless you're Oediups, that is, _Lucas sent to Claus. All he got back was telepathic confusion. Lucas hadn't really expected Claus to get the reference anyway.

Now Claus appeared to be thinking about something with a primal ferocity, his mouth twisted into a stubborn frown and his eyes staring intently at the steel floor. Lucas knew better than to try to get in Claus' way when he was like this; his brother could be _stubborn _when he wanted to be.

"Kumatora," Claus spoke, his voice laced with concern and determination. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Hmm?" Kumatora asked uncertainly, who was pretending not to know what Claus was talking about even though her look of shock indicated otherwise.

"It all makes sense now. Your aversion to social contact, your acceptance of death, your relief when Jeff pointed out that your predictions may not be set in stone… you haven't just seen Lucas' death, have you? You've also seen your own."

Kumatora looked Claus right in the eye, her fiery blue irises displaying determination rather than anger.

"Yes," she said simply before walking off to breakfast, leaving the three boys in an atmosphere heavy enough to crush them.

(ILH)

It tuned out that today was a military training day as well. The five students made their way to the unkempt equipment room, led by Jeff.

"This again?" Ninten grumbled. "Flying around with those machines is _so _much cooler."

"If there was an award for 'world's whiniest person,' you would win," Ness replied jovially. He seemed to be reverted to his old self.

"Thanks," Ninten replied with an air of superiority.

"That was not a compliment in any way, shape, or form," Ness retorted.

"Maybe to you it's not, but being a good whiner is useful. It sometimes gets you free stuff."

"I have a brilliant idea," Kumatora interrupted angrily. "How about you two _shut the hell up _and pick out your equipment?"

Ness shrugged in mock defeat.

"I had no idea that we just entered a no-fun zone. We'll burn out if we can't enjoy what we do. I don't know about you, but I would rather use my energy enjoying the flow than trying to swim against it. We should make the best out of what we have," he finished calmly, ignoring Kumatora's glare.

_I had no idea that Ness was so… wordy, _Claus sent.

_I'm personally more surprised that he can stay calm when Kumatora looks at him like that_¸ Lucas sent back, earning a telepathic chuckle from Claus.

Lucas walked up to Jeff and took the optimal array of defensive equipment that Jeff had offered them yesterday.

"Psst," Jeff whispered. "Listen. There are more chimeras out there than yesterday and the arena is smaller. Fassad is watching your every move. Keep your hand hidden."

Lucas blinked, not expecting Jeff to relay so much information in those few moments. _Keep your hand hidden? _Lucas thought. _He must mean to hold back on advanced techniques and pretend to struggle so that the difficulty doesn't increase further. _

Lucas broadcasted the message to the other four students, and thanked Jeff telepathically.

_Jeff seems really intent on helping us, huh? _Claus sent.

_I guess so. I think that he enjoys being treated as an equal. I still haven't puzzled out why Ness covered for me yesterday, though… _Lucas trailed off.

_Maybe he's altruistic? _Claus offered.

Lucas sighed. _I don't know. Something about him just seems off. Why does he suddenly go from carefree to serious? He's extremely calculating; he must have a reason._

Claus didn't have an answer to that.

* * *

"Man, that _sucked,_" Ninten complained. "I can't tell you how annoying it is to have your hands pinned so that you can't cast PSI."

"Actually, you're doing exactly that," Ness countered. The students had just finished fighting the chimeras in the pit, where one of their foes managed to knock Ninten out.

"No, I mean that I can't describe the _level _of annoyingness," Ninten explained.

"If it's as annoying as listening to you talk, then it must be quite the challenge to deal with," Ness replied offhandedly.

"Hmm…" Lucas said, furrowing his brow. "Do you think that could be an effective technique on enemy PSI units? We need to use hand motions to use most of our PSI abilities. If we can hold our opponents' hands in place, then they wouldn't be able to do anything!"

_How does he think of strategy like that? _Claus wondered. _It feels so different from the Lucas that I know. _That made Claus a bit sad for reasons that he couldn't quite explain.

"It would prevent the use of self-healing PSI, rending psionic stall technique useless…" Kumatora articulated.

"Psionic stall?" Claus asked. Everyone else looked at him in surprise.

_You… don't know about psionic stall? _Lucas sent.

_How do you know about it? _Claus demanded.

_I… wow, I don't know. I just do. _

_Thanks. That's a great help, buddy. _

_No need to be so offended, Claus. _

"Psionic stall is a technique that can be used by anyone, but is most commonly utilized by us psions due to the fact that it requires the same style of concentration as using PSI abilities," Ness explained. "Basically, it allows the user to delay damage dealt to their body."

Claus blinked.

"How is that possible?" He asked.

"How is it possible to create fire and ice with pure mental power like we do?" Ness countered. "Psionic stalling is nothing more than a basic example of being able to affect the outside world with our mind. The most common use of this technique is the one that Kumatora mentioned, which is when a psion takes enough punishment to be knocked out or killed, but is able to stall long enough to heal himself with PSI."

"Also works with food," Kumatora added. "No, really! I'm being serious. If you eat some food after taking mortal damage, you'll live. It saved my life once."

_These are some good things to know… _Claus thought, making a mental note to remember this talk if he ever found himself in trouble.

At that moment, a monkey ran into the room, shaking in terror. Claus recognized it as the monkey that was following Fassad yesterday. It looked at them with wide, desperate eyes, as if begging them to save him. Claus heard footsteps sounding on the metal floor near them, causing the monkey to curl up and hide behind Kumatora, who was the closest person. Kumatora looked heartbroken at the monkey's fear, and Lucas' shocked face and hand over his heart clearly indicated that he felt intense sympathy for the monkey as well. To reduce a poor monkey to a state like this… what must it have suffered?

Claus looked over to Ness and Ninten. Ness was staring at the monkey, his face serious but neutral, as if he was looking at a complex math problem. Ninten didn't even seem to notice the monkey's existence and kept smiling. The sounds of footsteps were coming closer, and Claus could guess who they belonged to…

Fassad rushed into the room, his face flushed with crimson anger.

"You stupid little monkey! Did you think that you could escape me?" Fassad demanded. The monkey tried to curl itself up tighter.

Fassad sneered and pulled out a remote switch. He pressed the button, sending a visible shock through the monkey's poor body via its collar. He pressed the button again and again, smiling cruelly the whole time.

"Stop!" Kumatora shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing? That's no way to treat anyone!"

Fassad looked over at Kumatora, his cold stare gazing into the depths of her heart.

"You should know better than to interrupt me so rudely," Fassad snarled. He pushed a different button on the remote controller and two robots rushed into the room.

"Take the girl away!" Fassad shouted. "We'll have some special punishments for both you and the monkey, girlie," he whispered to Kumatora creepily.

"No!" Claus yelled, but Fassad didn't even seem to notice.

_Claus. _That voice was different than Lucas'. _Claus, it's Kumatora. Just… let me go. I can take any punishment Fassad can throw at me. It's better if you don't get in trouble too. _

_You saw your death!_ Claus shouted back telepathically. _You might die if I let you go! _

_If I do… then it's better that I die alone. Goodbye, Claus. It was so nice to get to meet you… _

_NO! _Kumatora was expecting to die! Claus was about to rush forward when he suddenly felt a searing pain go through his mind, rendering him unable to move.

_I'm sorry about this, _yet another telepathic voice said. _But you were about do something stupid. This brainshock should keep you in place. _That voice… it had to be Ness! Claus wanted to lash out at him. How _dare _he stop Claus from helping someone that he cared about?

"I have a request, master Fassad," Ness said calmly, his face still betraying no emotion. His eyes were pointed at Fassad like lasers, intently scanning the older man to gather as much information as he could.

"What is it? I have little patience today," Fassad barked.

"We are all devoted to serving master Porky, so I was wondering if we could carry our equipment with us so that we could train in our free time."

Fassad scratched his chin and looked upward in thought.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Sure, go ahead."

Ness nodded respectfully, and Claus wanted to give that kid a whack with his stick. Kumatora and the monkey were being taken away, and Ness asked a question about _equipment? _

_Claus, grab your equipment, _Ness sent. _Grab Kumatora's too. Be sure that you both wear your charms. They will protect you from nasty effects like my brainshock. I fear that you both may need all of the protection that you can get… _

A chill went down Claus' spine. What did Ness mean and how much did he know? By now, the robots had restrained both Kumatora and the monkey.

"Take them away!" Fassad shouted with glee.

As Kumatora was carried out of the room, she made eye contact with Claus. Feeling despair overtake him, Claus held onto that one moment desperately, not letting his mind focus on anything else.

Because that might be the last time that he would ever see Kumatora.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading and feel more than welcome to review!**

**Phew, this one had a lot of information in it that I had to put in for later chapters to make sense. I hope that you still enjoyed it! The plot is going to start to pick up in speed soon, so just bear with me! :)**

**Anyways, I have way too much time on my hands because I'm only taking 1 AP Test (AP Literature) that I really have to worry about this year. Embarrassingly, I failed the AP Language test last year, so I really want to do well on this one! But back to the point, I still should be able to crank these out pretty quickly (although I may need more time if I feel like I need to start editing more closely).**

**Well, thanks for listening (reading?) to me ramble, and have a wonderful day! :)**

***Updated on 5/13**


	6. Chapter 6: Impending Doom

***Updated 5/15**

**Hey, everyone! :) **

**I'm going to start responding to reviews personally, so you can skip this section if you're not interested. I got the idea from Phoesong, another fanfic writer. If you haven't checked out her story yet (it's called ****For The Power of Love)**** you should totally do that! Phoesong is ****_super _****nice and her work is excellent (probably better than mine :P). She even inspired me two write cruel cliffhangers like the one at the end of this chapter :) I promise that I'm not working out some deal to get her more views or anything, I just really think that anyone into fanfics and Earthbound should check her work out. Just… try to stick with mine, too, okay? ;)**

**NintenGirl9x****: Thanks for the positive review and thanks for the encouragement about my AP Lit test! It really means a lot to me. I'm not going to spoil whether or not Kumatora dies (what would be the fun in that?), but I will say that I have plenty left in store for her.**

**Guest****: Thanks for the positive feedback! I've always considered crafting characters to be one of my stronger points, so it's good to see that I've been doing a good job (in that regard, at least!). Again, I'm not going to say anything regarding Jeff (I actually have the whole story planned out so it can be kinda hard to make adjustments, but I will do my best to listen to plot suggestions!), but I also do have plenty in store left for him (sometimes I wonder how I'm going to fit all of these characters in…)**

**Just Me. Hi****: I hope that you were satisfied by the last chapter (and this one too!). I really like Lucas too; I can connect with him and Jeff more than any of my other characters this series (I constantly worry that I'm butchering Claus' character… I tend to make all of my characters philosophical). Like I said above, it will be difficult to accommodate requests, but keep them coming! Maybe you guys will think of some cool things that I can work in!**

* * *

_I knew a person once who is forever doomed to sit inside his little prison forever without being able to comprehend or interact with the outside world in any way. To this day, he knows that he will exist for all eternity and is fully aware that he is powerless to escape to death's warm embrace._

_Or does he?_

_See, this person has gone completely insane. He just sits there in his little prison, comforted by his mind's own false creations. He always wanted to live forever in a desolate world… in a way, he got what he wanted._

_Is it wrong to think that way?_

* * *

Kumatora was fine.

Claus walked into the cafeteria the next day dehydrated and with dark circles under his eyes. He felt that he was about to collapse from fatigue. When he first saw Kumatora sitting normally on one of the steel benches, he thought that he was seeing things. Like a zombie, he walked up to her.

"You're… not hurt?" Claus asked timidly.

Kumatora examined Claus carefully, noting his ragged appearance.

"I'm fine," she said. "Some of the 'punishment' machines weren't working, so I have to go back again tonight. You, on the other hand, look _horrible._ Just look at those dark circles under your bloodshot eyes! Fassad didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No," Claus replied. "I was just… worried about you."

"You were?" Kumatora asked in disbelief.

"Of course I was! The only reason that I didn't blast Fassad into next week is that Ness used brainshock on me."

"That was a wise choice by him. Your intervention wouldn't have made up for my mistake."

"Mistake? You don't mean…"

"I shouldn't have defended the monkey. I only hurt it further by making Fassad angry!"

"Don't say that! That's how the bad guys win!"

"So idealistic," Kumatora whispered sadly. "So… innocent. I wish that I could see the world through your eyes, Claus. I… think that I would be satisfied with myself if I were you. Tell me, Claus. Why do you care about me?"

That question nearly broke Claus' heart.

"Why do I care about you? Are you serious? People care about each other, Kumatora. I like you and think that you deserve a better life than you're getting. Why wouldn't I care about you?"

"I'm going to die. If you get close to me, it will just bring more pain for you," Kumatora said softly, uncharacteristic tears coming to her eyes.

"Even if you are," Claus whispered. "I would rather get to know you. Sure, I would feel sad when you died, but that's not a bad thing. The reason that we feel sad is so that we can remember the good times that we had. The sadder I am, the closer we were. I want to feel sad, Kumatora. Because… at least then I know that the person that I lost meant something to me."

"Your fragile heart can take all of that pain?"

"I lived through my mother's death."

"You still bear scars from that, Claus. I can see it in you. We are the same in that way. Which… is why it fascinates me how you can remain so innocent after bearing so much pain."

"I do have scars," Claus admitted, "But I realized that even though my mother's death left me with buried pain, I was glad to have memories of all my experiences with her. I was glad to have known her despite the fact that she died and left me with the pain." Truthfully, he had only figured that out after his talk with Lucas on their first night in the school, right after they had both been abducted.

Claus looked Kumatora in the eye with a fiery determination that surprised even him.

"I would rather have you die in my arms than leave you to fade away with nobody left to care."

* * *

"Do you know where Claus and Kumatora are?" Jeff asked Lucas. Lucas blinked and focused his attention away from the mind reading machine that he was trying to use.

"T-They were tired from yesterday," Lucas responded as confidently as possible. "I think that they're getting some rest. Dr. Andonuts said that it was okay."

That was a lie, and a poorly executed one at that. Claus and Kumatora were actually hanging out with each other in Claus' and Lucas' room. "Hanging out" was what they called it, anyway… Lucas was pretty sure that there was some sort of romance between the two of them, a romance fueled by pain and necessity. Kumatora believed that she didn't have much longer to live, so they were probably trying to spend as much time as possible with each other. Lucas was a bit sad that Claus was putting so much of his energy into caring for someone other than him, but at the same time he recognized that Claus _shouldn't have_ to give all of his attention to Lucas. He then felt guilty for his selfish thoughts.

Out of the blue, Ness strode up to Lucas and Jeff, only seeming to notice Lucas.

"This world… is treacherous, is it not?" Ness asked ambiguously.

"Um… sure," Lucas replied.

Ness gave Lucas a smile that didn't reach his cold, piercing eyes.

"So much pain… I sometimes wonder how we can take it. But we do. We trudge on through slime and filth in the darkest caverns even if we are not near to the light of the exit. You see that now, don't you? This world is no longer a happy, innocent place for you. You are changed in ways that words alone cannot describe. Even when you don't consciously think about it, the plight of New Pork City affects your every move. In a way, your very essence has changed. Am I right?"

Lucas blinked. Ness spoke like someone viewing New Pork's problems from outside, speaking in a pedantic way to try to detach himself from the world that he lived in. But he was right, in a way. After seeing the harsh truth of New Pork, Lucas changed in ways that he didn't think were possible.

"I can see it in your face, Lucas," Ness started again. "You know of what I speak. However… that is not what I am here to tell you about. I have noticed that you do not subscribe to New Pork's cutthroat creeds. It is really quite obvious. There are some people, like master Fassad, who will take offense at such beliefs. If you oppose New Pork… you should keep silent, for your sake. You will do nobody any good by getting yourself killed, yes?"

Lucas tried to sort through Ness' words. He knew that Lucas hated the city, which wasn't a big surprise. Lucas always knew that Ness could be perceptive, and Lucas had always been terrible at hiding his emotions. But what Ness was suggesting… how could Lucas just keep quiet? Burying the bitterness would only lead to repercussions down the road. Ness seemed to pick up on Lucas' reluctance.

"There are ears everywhere, Lucas. Even talking right now is a risk, although I do not truly believe that it will cause any trouble for either of us. Dr. Andonuts is even building machines that can detect telepathic messages. Be careful about what you say or send, and please tell that to your brother as well. I fear that Claus and I are… not on the best terms, to say the least."

"All right," Lucas managed. "Thanks."

Jeff looked disturbed by the conversation.

"Hey, Lucas," Jeff spoke up nervously. "Would you mind… helping me out with these machines later today?"

"I don't know if I would be very helpful…" Lucas responded, confused by the request. _He means that he needs to talk to you about something in private, _Ness sent. "…But if you think that I could be useful, I'd be happy to help."

Jeff nodded, relaxing visibly. He gave Lucas the time and place that they should meet. Lucas looked at Ness, who was staring back at him with intent, calculating eyes. _Just what is Ness' game? _Lucas thought. _And for that matter, where is Ninten? I haven't seen him recently…_

* * *

Claus sat on his bed, his body refusing to relax. How could he relax while Kumatora was being tortured by Fassad? He tried to read something, but was unable to comprehend the words over his anxiety. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh, yeah, like I'm just going to sit here while Kumatora is suffering! Like hell I will!"

Claus ran out of his room. It was time to go to the punishment chamber.

Lucas opened the door to the room where Jeff wanted to talk with Lucas, stepping in nervously and gently closing the door behind him. Jeff was standing inside.

"Thanks for coming, Lucas," Jeff said, nervously fidgeting with a gadget. "We can talk here without anyone else hearing."

"Ness told me that you wanted to talk to me privately," Lucas explained.

Jeff nodded.

"Yes, it took me a while to find a place where we could talk like this. Technology can improve our lives, but it can also be a bother…"

"Technology can improve our lives?" Lucas interrupted. "Since when? Just look at this city."

"Do not be so quick to discount technological advancement, Lucas," Jeff said. "I will fully agree with you that this city is awful, but… it doesn't have to be that way. Wonderful things can be done with the latest inventions."

"I remember when television first came to Tazmily," Lucas reminisced out loud. "At first it seemed pretty neat. But… it didn't make us any happier. Some people just stayed in their houses all day, watching the stupid television. It didn't help them at all. _Things _don't help people, Jeff. _People _help people. All technology does is puts barriers between us."

"That's an entirely valid perspective," Jeff replied to Lucas' surprise. "But I have to ask you something. Your mother died of cholera, didn't she?"

"Yes. I…" Tears came to Lucas' eyes just thinking about what happened. To this day, it was still hard to accept that he would never be able to see his mother again. Claus had taken it even harder than Lucas, feeling that mother had died because he and his PSI weren't strong enough.

"No PSI can cure cholera," Jeff explained, although Lucas already knew that far too well. "But recently… my father, Dr. Andonuts, and I invented a machine that allows healing PSI to have expanded uses. It can cure cholera in the hands of a skilled PSI healer. Think about it, Lucas. Your mother could be alive right now if technology had reached Tazmily more quickly."

Lucas had nothing to say to that.

"Regardless, this talk about technology was not why I called you here," Jeff said, trying to change the subject.

"Why did you have me come here, then…?"

Claus approached the door to the punishment chamber. He was pretty sure that he had avoided _most _of the security cameras. He tried opening the door, but it refused to budge. He shook his head, stepped back, and _rammed _into the door with all of his might. He was surprised at how easily it gave way to his brute strength. Smiling in triumph, Claus stepped inside of the room. However, what he saw wiped the smile off of his smug face.

"What in the world…?" he wondered out loud.

"You may not be able to trust the other students," Jeff told Lucas.

"Old news," Lucas replied.

"This is different," Jeff asserted with a determined voice that surprised Lucas. "There's something bone-chilling that I have to tell you."

"What is it…?" Lucas asked, feeling a sense of terror creep through his bloodstream and into all of his fragile organs.

The room that Claus was standing in was only illuminated by small, neon lights on the walls and floor. As Claus stepped further in, the lights turned on. Kumatora was in a giant capsule, submerged in a green liquid with a mask over her face. Several thick wires connected to the mask, giving the scene an otherworldly feel. Claus looked up at the electronic sign above Kumaora and his heart skipped a beat.

"I read some files," Jeff started slowly, "That said that… at least one of the students has been brainwashed."

The sign above Kumatora's capsule read: "Brainwashing in progress."

Lucas' heart froze.

"I have to tell Claus! He might not be able to trust Kumatora!" Lucas shouted. _Kumatora's punishment… could it be brainwashing? _

"And you might not be able to trust Claus," Jeff added somberly. "It's possible that he's been brainwashed."

Lucas gritted his teeth.

"I have to believe that he hasn't been brainwashed. If he leaves me…" Lucas didn't know what he would do.

Claus felt something strange inside of him. Obviously, he was concerned for Kumatora, but he felt an itching to do something _real_. This would be his chance to finally save someone when they were in need. He grabbed his stick (he was _so _glad that he had brought it) and started smashing the capsule. _Please, _he thought. _Please let her be okay. Please, Please, Please… _

Lucas grabbed his equipment.

"I have to warn Claus," Lucas said urgently, pulling himself together. "Thank you for telling me, Jeff."

Without waiting for a response, he flew out the door and ran towards his room, stick in hand. Before he got far, he saw Ness walking in the opposite direction, looking conflicted.

"I need to hurry!" Lucas shouted. "Sorry, but this is urgent."

Ness shook his head sadly.

"I… would like to apologize, Lucas."

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks, a wave of dread diffusing throughout his body, sparing no organ. Ness' voice was _never _sad like it was now. What could it mean…? Ness looked Lucas straight in the eye and Lucas could see tears running down Ness' face.

"I'm sorry," Ness whispered, "That I have to kill you."

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading! Sadly, there was no lighthearted humor in this chapter. D:**

**Also, have a cliffhanger! :) I think that I will post the next chapter in three days. It might be bad to say this, but I probably could get it done earlier if I wanted. I just… need time between when I write and publish it so that I can review with fresh eyes.**

**Anyways, the plot is finally advancing, which is nice (it's about time…). I'm really looking forward to writing the next one. There will finally be some action (the reason that I didn't include any before is that I felt that potential fights earlier wouldn't really add anything to the story). Readers are, as always, more than welcome to review my writing and tell me what I'm screwing up.**

**Also, it's amazing how much my outside life diffuses into my writing. Ness' pedantic speech was unconsciously inspired by Xemnas from Kingdom Hearts. I guess that when I wanted to make a character seem detached, I turned to Xemnas with his cryptic messages and overly philosophical monologues.**

**Thanks again for reading and have a wonderful day! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Tied Hands

***Updated on 5/15**

**Hi! It's still me; I changed my username on this site because I realized that it was probably a really dumb idea to show my last name. ;) I'm finally adding some action in this one! Admittedly, writing action scenes is one of my weaknesses... I hope that you enjoy it anyway! The next few chapters are going to get more serious/dark, and then it will lighten up a bit more. Just thought that I'd put that out there. Oh, and if you're wondering why I started writing my author's notes at the top (which probably nobody is but I'm going to say anyway...), it's because I wanted the endings to feel more powerful. Sometimes, the ending can be diminished if I throw more text at it.**

**Also, have yet another cliffhanger! (huh, it's not letting me do the evil face emoticon for some reason... D:)**

**SuperMarioFan5000 and SMF: Thanks for taking the time to review! To be honest, your response was kinda what I was going for. :) And don't worry, Ninten is going to play a part in this too!**

**JustMe. Hi****: I don't think that it's gross at all to like yaoi pairings! I personally don't write them, but I respect people who do! :) As for the plot stuff, I already have the basic story in my mind (at least, most of it), so it will be hard to accommodate****requests, but hard doesn't mean impossible! I prioritize writing stuff that I feel is good more than writing what people want me to, but I'm willing to change the plot if I feel that it could work! Just... don't be too mad if I can't, please. I like my entrails where they are D:**

* * *

_Sometimes, I wonder if insanity is the better choice. Thinking about the person stuck forever in his prison made me realize that his situation may be better than mine. He is, if nothing else, happy._

_Should I give into insanity and end the pain?_

_I know that sort of thinking is considered to be morally wrong, but every day I find it harder to remember why. Being headstrong and confident is good, right? Shouldn't I ignore convention and dive into the cleansing waters of insanity? Wouldn't that be the greatest strength of all?_

_The offer is tempting… so tempting…_

* * *

"Why?" Lucas asked with in disbelief, his voice sympathetic and pained. "Why are you doing this, Ness?"

Ness looked at Lucas sadly, and Lucas could see from the way that he slouched that Ness carried a heavy burden.

"I'm sorry," Ness replied, breathing heavily in despair. "My hands are tied. I have to do this. I don't have a choice…" It seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than explain to Lucas.

That was fine, though. Something primal took control of Lucas' body. The questions that he asked had dual meaning. The first was that he legitimately wanted to find out why Ness was attacking him.

The second reason was that it gave him enough time to use Counter, a PSI ability that both reduced damage taken from physical attacks and reflected that damage back at the attacker. Ness eyes narrowed when he saw the Counter go off.

"You sneaky little…" Ness stopped himself, anger reverting back to sorrow. "No, I will not begrudge you for trying to survive. That is… the least that I can do. But this is getting out of hand. PK Rockin Omega!"

* * *

Claus broke through the capsule that held Kumatora. Green liquid gushed out of the opening. Claus didn't know if the liquid was harmful, but he didn't care right now. Claus pulled Kumatora out of the capsule and peeled of the mask that had been placed over her face. _Please…_

Kumatora's eyes blinked open.

"Where am I?" Kumatora asked groggily.

"Kumatora!" Claus exclaimed. "Do you feel… normal?"

"As normal as I could ever feel waking up to this," Kumatora replied wryly, looking at her soaked clothing.

Kumatora hadn't been brainwashed… had she? _No, I broke her out before the brainwashing finished. I have to believe that, _Claus thought. Now was not the time to be second guessing his decision.

"Why are you here?" Kumatora asked Claus, unable to keep annoyance from entering her voice. "You'll just get us into more trouble. Even if I were to die here, I would not wish to bring you to the grave with me."

Claus pointed to the sign that read: "Brainwashing in progress." Kumatora gasped.

"I was being… brainwashed?"

"Yeah. Luckily, I was a rebellious little kid and went snooping around here. Come on, let's get out of here," Claus said, offering Kumatora his hand.

At that moment, Fassad entered the room, followed by a horde of pigmasks.

* * *

Hexagons of psychic energy flew from Ness' mind and brutally assaulted Lucas. Lucas smiled as he took fatal damage from PK Rockin. Lucas' psionic stall meant that he still had several seconds left to live. Ness adopted an offensive posture, clearly expecting Lucas to try to retreat and heal. In a split second, Lucas decided to go with the unexpected move.

He charged.

Ness' eyes widened in surprise as Lucas slammed his stick into Ness' side. Lucas then swung his stick at Ness again, catching Ness on the side of the head. Ness managed to stay upright, his psionic focus allowing him to take harsh punishments without flinching. However, Ness did panic and swung his baseball bat at Lucas. Ness was aiming at Lucas' side, but Lucas ducked and intercepted the blow with his face.

Ness' mouth dropped in shock. Why would Lucas possibly block the attack with a fragile part of his body? The answer became clear when Ness was sent flying across the room by Lucas' Counter and landed on the steel floor with a clang. The more damage that Lucas took from an attack, the more damage Ness would take. Therefore, Lucas made sure to take as much damage as possible, knowing that he had already taken enough to die, in order to hurt Ness even more.

_How do I know what to do? _Lucas wondered. _I've never been in so much as a fistfight. I'm acting based on instinct, but how could I possibly have attained these habits?_ Lucas didn't dwell on this; his life was at stake. Lucas healed himself with Lifeup gamma with a smile, restoring all of the damage dealt to him. Ness followed suit, looking at Lucas in calculating wonder.

Lucas charged once more at Ness, who clearly was not experienced in life or death battles of this sort. He panicked once more.

"PK Rockin Omega!" Ness shouted for the second time that fight, and again psychic hexagons flowed outwards from Ness, tossing Lucas around like a ragdoll.

(ILH)

_Uh-oh, _Claus sent to Kumatora. _This doesn't look good._

_Gee, you think? _Kumatora sent back.

"You little brats!" Fassad roared, his face flushed with anger.

_That anger fits him pretty well, _Kumatora sent to Claus. _It's entertaining to see how mad he gets. _

Fassad pointed a finger at Claus and Kumatora, and the squadron of pigmasks rushed in. Claus and Kumatora nodded at each other. They both knew what to do, even though neither of them wanted to do it.

"PK Fire gamma!" Kumatora shouted, fire flowing gracefully from her fingertips to line the floor with a roar.

"PK Love Beta!" Claus shouted, pure psychic energy flowing from his mind. Every pigmask hit by the barrage of psychic attacks fell to the ground.

_I hope that we didn't kill them… _Claus sent.

Fassad's eyes widened in shock. He dashed away faster than Claus could believe.

"Oh yeah!" Claus exclaimed. "I have your equipment here. Ness had me grab it for you."

Kumatora smiled at him, which sent a warm feeling through Claus' heart.

"Thanks," she said. "Now, let's get the hell out of here!"

Claus could not express how much he agreed with that statement.

* * *

Lucas took the PSI Rockin calmly. Ness adopted a more defensive pose this time. However, Ness was close enough to interrupt a Lifeup PSI ability. Lucas wasn't sure if Ness had enough skill to do that, but he didn't want to risk it. Instead, he used Offense Up and Defense Up, which were much safer to use. He hoped to pressure Ness into attacking, but it didn't work. Ness recognized that Lucas would slowly die if he didn't do anything else. Lucas could charge again, but Ness was expecting that this time. Lucas decided to once again do what Ness would never expect.

"Lifeup alpha!" Lucas cried, making the required motions with _one hand _while holding out his stick defensively with the other. Ness' jaw dropped.

"How…?"

Lifeup alpha would only heal him for a small amount, meaning that he would have less time to stall if he got hit with mortal damage again. Fortunately, Ness had already used up a large chunk of his psychic power. It was unlikely that he would be pulling out a third PK Rockin Omega. Additionally, Ness' confusion gave Lucas an opening to counterattack.

"PK Love Omega!" Lucas shouted, pouring massive energy into a single blast of raw psychic energy.

* * *

Claus and Kumatora ran for their lives. They ran through countless hallways and past countless identical rooms. Claus didn't know where they were going, only that they had to escape the horde of pigmasks that were following them. Kumatora and Claus used repeated PK Fire abilities to discourage pursuit, but Fassad was driving the pigmasks cruelly.

As they passed through yet another random hallway, Kumatora halted suddenly. Claus skidded to a stop and looked at her.

"Are you tired?" He asked. "We just need to keep moving…" Fear entered his heart as he saw Kumatora's enraged face glaring straight at him. _What in the world? _He thought in horror.

Kumatora ran up and punched Claus right in the face. Claus' vision flashed in pain, and then he heard himself land on the metal ground. _Damn, now I actually feel bad for Ninten for when he got punched, _Claus thought. Kumatora was on him within a second, her fist raised to deliver another blow. Her face looked unnaturally angry, and there was a zealous look in her eyes that horrified Claus. She smiled maliciously.

Kumatora's rage passed as soon as it came. She opened her fist up and looked at the palm of her gloved hand, horrified at what she had done to Claus. She clutched her head in agony and _screamed, _falling to her knees.

"What have I done?" she asked hopelessly. "What have I become?"

"Kumatora!" Claus shouted.

"Don't get near me!" Kumatora shouted. Claus stopped in his tracks, betrayal flooding his systems. "You're… not safe near me," she whispered.

"What…?"

"The brainwashing! I've been partially brainwashed. Claus, I just tried to kill you!"

"You can resist it!" Claus exclaimed. "I know that you can!"

"No I can't! It's already taking over me!"

"I'm sure that you can fight it. Just a little longer…"

"Claus, I'm going to die anyway! I saw my own death."

"We can change the future! Don't give up!"

Kumatora turned away from Claus, gasping and wheezing hysterically.

"Kumatora…"

"You shouldn't call me that. Kumatora is dead! I'm nothing more than Porky's slave."

"No! You're Kumatora! Your name is Kumatora…"

"They took her soul, Claus. The Kumatora that you know is already gone!"

Claus imagined what Kumatora must have been feeling. Her _very essence _was being stolen away from her. Not being able to trust anyone else was bad enough, but what happened when you couldn't trust yourself? If you couldn't be sure that you could even control your body, what could you _possibly do? _

"Listen, Claus. The pigmasks are almost here. I can't be trusted anymore."

"All… All right," Claus conceded, an overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness overtaking him. "What do we do, then?"

Kumatora turned to him with a look of surprise.

"Isn't it obvious? You need to kill me."

* * *

More hexagons of psionic energy appeared, this time coming from Lucas' mind. Ness took the brunt of the attack and was casually picked up and thrown back by the uncaring hexagons. He landed on the ground a significant distance from Lucas, surely having taken mortal damage. Without hesitation, Lucas dashed towards Ness. Ness struggled to his feet, but by that time, Lucas was already upon him. Ness yelped and moved his hands as far away as possible from Lucas, remembering that he couldn't use PSI while his hands were restrained.

This didn't faze Lucas. He hadn't been planning on going for Ness' hands.

Lucas dropped his stick and grabbed Ness' throat, lifting him up into the air and cutting of his ability to breathe.

Ness struggled hopelessly, kicking and flailing like it would make a difference. His hands went up to Lucas', desperately trying to pry Lucas' iron fingers away from his throat. Ness was going to die soon from PK Love. All Lucas needed to do was prevent him from using any more PSI.

"Ness, when we first met, you said that PSI makes us fundamentally different from normal people," Lucas said. "If that's the case, shouldn't you have given up your human instincts? Why are you struggling? It won't help you. You know PSI! Your free hands could be used to heal yourself or attack me with PSI, so why are you still struggling? If you really have transcended to a level above a human, show me that you can overcome your biological instincts!"

Ness did seem to be trying to pull his hands away from Lucas' hand in an attempt to use PSI, but his hands always seemed to return to the task of freeing his throat.

"Now do you see why we shouldn't discriminate?" Lucas demanded, almost _begging _for Ness to understand. "In the end, we're just the same as someone like Jeff. We have the same instincts, the same cares, and the same loves. Can't you see that, Ness?"

Ness only kicked and struggled in reply, his face turning blue.

* * *

"I'm not killing you!" Claus shouted.

"Please," Kumatora begged, tears streaming down her face. "It will be a mercy."

Claus looked at Kumatora, gritting his teeth. True, if he were in Kumatora's position, he would rather die than become a brainwashed monster, but that didn't mean that he could just murder someone that he loved! It wasn't that easy…

"I have an idea," Kumatora said, pulling herself together. "We should split up. That way, you don't have to worry about me killing you. I promise not to kill myself unless I absolutely have to."

"I'm not leaving you!" Claus exclaimed. Nobody else was going to die because he was too weak! "You… are intending to die here, aren't you?" Claus whispered.

Kumatora paused, not knowing what to say.

"This will increase our chance of survival," she finally managed to get out. "I promise that I'll try to live, Claus."

Claus wanted _so badly_ to deny Kumatora's words, but he couldn't refute her logic. With his heart in his stomach, Claus nodded.

"Here," Kumatora said, pulling out a banana. "This is a luxury banana. The monkey that Fassad abused gave two of these to me. You should take one; it will be useful if you need to recover some damage… Think of me when you eat this, all right?

Claus took the banana, cradling it carefully in his hands. This might be the last piece of Kumatora that he would have left. They both took off, going different directions when they hit a fork in the road.

* * *

_Lucas, please listen! _Ness sent. Telepathic communication was one of the few PSI abilities that didn't require hand motions. _I know that this isn't your fault. Really, I do! I attacked you, and you have every right to defend yourself. I don't blame you for any of this. But Lucas… I'm going to die! _Ness' last sentence came through with the desperation of a caged animal. His words echoed through Lucas' head.

Claus couldn't feel. Emotions seemed so foreign to him now. _Once again, you leave a person that you love to die, _a cold voice whispered to him. _Once again, you are too weak. _It was true. Claus had left Kumatora. He had nothing left to care about in his heart, not even Lucas.

He had suffered too much.

Instead of thinking or feeling, Claus just ran down the hall. He didn't know where he was going or why he was even running. He just ran down the hall.

_I'm going to die! _

Claus ran down the hall.

_I'm going to die! _

Claus passed more doors, not even noticing them.

_Lucas, please… _

Claus saw a door and ran towards it without even comprehending that it was different from the others.

_I'M GOING TO DIE! _

Tears came to Lucas' eyes. He remembered what he felt when Kumatora had predicted his death. All of the things that he thought that he wouldn't be able to do and the people that he wouldn't be able to see… that was what hurt most of all. Ness was undoubtedly thinking similarly, going through all of the good things in his life that he would lose when death claimed him. He must have parents that he desperately wanted to see. Did he have a brother or a sister that he wanted to look at one last time? Did he have a dog that he dearly wanted to pet, watching its tail wag out of joy? Surely he had hobbies that he cared about… Did he have special places that he wanted to visit one last time? Maybe he enjoyed lying on a grassy field all afternoon and looking at the clouds… And Lucas was going to take all of that away from him. Could Lucas really inflict that _horrible _fate on somebody else?

No.

Lucas released Ness and used Lifeup Alpha to make sure that he wouldn't die. Ness gasped for air, sobbing hysterically.

_Thank you, thank you, thank you… _Ness sent, his words full of joy and relief.

Claus opened the door. He ran through it without thinking. It took him a few moments to realize that he was outside. He had finally escaped!

Then he realized that he was standing on a platform several hundred feet above the ground with no way to get down.

Pigmasks were running towards Claus, trapping him with nowhere to go. _I guess this is where it ends, _Claus thought in dismay. Suddenly, an idea crept into Claus' head. _This is probably a terrible idea, but what the hell! _he thought. _I'll do it. I have nothing to lose._

"I tried to kill you and you… you spared me!" Ness exclaimed before sobbing further. "How could I have done that to you? What have I become?" Ness seemed horrified only now by his actions.

Lucas heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw a helmeted Ninten wearing a savage sneer, carrying Claus. Lucas' heart leapt, not at seeing Ninten or Claus…

But at the knife that Ninten was holding up to Claus' throat.


	8. Chapter 8: The Pain of War

***Gore reduction update on 5/15**

***Updated on 5/2 to be less crappy.**

**Even if whoever is reading this hates authors' notes with a passion, I would still advise reading this one. :)**

**This one is pretty dark.**

**If you hate that kind of writing, the good news is that this is the darkest it will get... at least for a long time (I'm planning on doing some stuff with Magicant that could take a dark turn; I'll just have to see how it goes). Just bear with me, okay? :) On the other hand, dark is often synonymous with powerful, and I hope that you find this chapter to be just that. Regardless, this story will lighten up a bit after the next couple of chapters.**

**Anyways, this one made me cry when I wrote it. Although... it doesn't take much to make me cry. xD **

**Oh yeah, there's going to be some gore. I think that it's not all that terrible (I just finished reading a book for AP Lit where a woman kills her own daughter with a handsaw and nurses the other daughter without washing the blood off of her first *shudders*), but let me know if you think I go too far. Also, I'm not adding in gore for giggles; I have a legitimate reason for doing so.**

**Enjoy! :)**

**JustMe. Hi****: Heh, the cliffhangers are going to get better. The last two chapters are going to be the ones with the worst cliffhangers of them all imo (this chapter doesn't have one!). Thanks for the encouragement! :) I'm going to try to keep it up; working on this story is basically my life right now xD.**

* * *

_Part of what keeps me sane are the fleeting glimpses that I get of the world outside of my prison. Whenever I see a snippet of what lies beyond, hope rushes through my tiny vessel of a body. I hope that maybe, just maybe, I can find a way out._

_But that hope is a lie._

_I know that I am stuck here, but I still feel a surge of hope when I see these glimpses. I am the titan Tantalus. I know that I cannot reach the fruits and water of the outside world, but my hunger and thirst make me care._

_It is the worst punishment one can receive._

* * *

"You had better come with me, unless you want your brother to die," Ninten said, grinning in cruel joy.

Claus' hands were tied behind his back so that he couldn't use PSI. He was struggling helplessly, thrashing and kicking. Ninten didn't even seem to notice, his fiery eyes pinned on Lucas, whose heart almost exploded out of sorrow. Claus looked so helpless… that wasn't right. Claus was always the strong one. _I'm dreaming, _Lucas thought blissfully. _This is all just a bad dream. I'll wake up soon, and I'll be back at Tazmily with Claus and father, laughing and playing in the lush fields and mystical ruins. _

_Lucas! _Ness shouted telepathically, waking Lucas from his fantasy. _That's not Claus!_

_What?_

_You heard me right! Do you see the helmet that Ninten is wearing? That's the illusion machine. The "Claus" that you see there is just an illusion!_

_So nobody's actually there? Dang, that's one good illusion._

_…I think that someone's there and that person's body is covered in a Claus illusion. The movements are too realistic. Not even Ninten could pull that off without a real person there. _

_So he still has me in a corner, _Lucas sent somberly.

He received telepathically transmitted confusion from Ness. _But… it's not Claus._

_Ninten is still holding a person hostage and won't hesitate to kill them. If I was willing to let random people die, you wouldn't be standing here right now, _Lucas reminded Ness sternly.

_That's true, _Ness replied grimly. _I… admire your willingness to put your life on the line for somebody that you don't even know. Just… try not to die, all right? Corpses serve no purpose in this world._

"Are you coming?" Ninten snarled, his eyes alight with rage.

"All right," Lucas replied reluctantly. Both he and Ness walked towards Ninten.

"Ness, stay here," Ninten ordered with an evil grin. "Your job is done."

"Have I failed?" Ness asked, his voice rising and eyes widening in panic. "My family…"

_They're holding Ness' family hostage? _Lucas thought. _No wonder he said that his hands were tied. I might have done the same if they held Claus and my father. _What a scary thought…

"You have not failed…" Ninten replied reluctantly, and Ness sighed in relief. "Your job was just to see if Lucas could use PK Love. I suppose you will have to live this time."

Ninten regally strode out of the room and Lucas had no choice but to follow. He felt walls of black thorns closing in around him, trapping him with no way of getting out without cutting himself.

_Wait, Lucas! I have one more question, _Ness sent hastily. _I know that I don't deserve to be able to ask, but… _

_Ask away, _Lucas replied.

_All right. How did you know what to do in a PSI fight?_

_I don't know, _Lucas responded honestly. _I just… used my instincts. _

_Blocking a baseball bat with your face isn't an instinct, Lucas! Neither is going on the offensive when you have already taken lethal damage. If those moves came naturally to you, they were habits._

_I've never gotten into so much as a fistfight before, _Lucas sent, feeling confused himself. _I have no idea how such habits could have formed…_

Ness pondered for a moment and then nodded to indicate that he believed Lucas.

_All right then, _Ness sent. _Good luck at getting out of this unscathed. You're going to need it. _

Lucas nodded and walked out of the door, a nauseating anxiety weighing him down. One question still plaguing him.

If the Claus that Ninten was holding was a fake, where was the real one?

* * *

Claus fell through the air, feeling his clothes ripple in the wind as the ground inched upward to meet his fall. _Jumping off of that building was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done. Still, it was probably less of a mistake than putting that frog in dad's bath… _Claus laughed wryly, and the ground came closer still.

_This had better work, _he thought. _If it doesn't, I'll… well I can't really do anything. I'll be dead. Screw it; I'll mess with some stuff in the afterlife! …That doesn't sound threatening at all. _

Claus waited for what seemed like an eternity while each heartbeat pounded in his chest. _Come on; let's just get this over with. I'm tired of waiting. _The ground finally neared Claus' face. He closed his eyes.

Claus landed on the ground with a sickening crunch.

He was blinded by the intense pain that accompanied the fall, still alive due to his psionic stall. He needed to do something, but he couldn't see anything through the pain…

Suddenly, the pain disappeared as soon as it came, Claus' vision coming back into focus. _Thank you!_ He was still dying quickly, though. Claus looked frantically around and saw the luxury banana Kumatora had given him lying squashed on the ground, mingled with the asphalt. Claus ran over and scarfed down the banana, trying to ignore the mushy texture that almost gagged him. Claus waited.

He didn't die.

Claus threw his hands up in victory, feeling a euphoric sense of relief. Kumatora was right! Eating food after taking mortal damage _could _be used to stay alive. A smile lit up on Claus' face. He had just cheated his way through death. That, if nothing else, was something to be proud of.

* * *

Ninten lead Lucas into a room that Lucas didn't recognize. The room, like many others, had thick, steel walls and was riddled with video cameras that surveyed the room. Ninten forcefully dragged the Claus illusion to the far side of a room, and a glass barrier fell from the ceiling, separating Ninten and Lucas. Laughing viciously, Fassad entered Ninten's side of the room from another entrance, followed by the collared monkey from earlier and a pigmask.

"Thank you for coming, Lucas," The pigmask spoke. It was Isaac. "Master Porky just wants what's best for you. You understand that, right?"

Lucas didn't speak, instead looking at the monkey. Its large, somber eyes seemed to be staring into Lucas' soul.

"Pay attention!" Fassad snapped with a sneer. "Or do you want your brother to die?"

Was that Claus really an illusion? Lucas wasn't sure if he could trust Ness. Ness had shown that he was willing to do _anything_ to protect his family, so leading Lucas awry would be possible. Still… Ness had seemed sincerely grateful when Lucas had spared his life.

"I know that's not Claus," Lucas said evenly, deciding to believe Ness' words. His heart skipped a beat. What would Ninten do to the person if he didn't think that Lucas cared about them…?

Fassad, Ninten, and Isaac reacted with surprise. Ninten dropped the illusion, revealing that he was holding Kumatora rather than Claus. Kumatora had a helmet on that she managed to shake off. She wore a resolute look on her hard face.

_Thank goodness, _she sent to Lucas. _That helmet was blocking my telepathic messages. How did you know that I wasn't Claus?_

_Ness told me, _Lucas replied. Kumatora sent back a feeling of surprise.

_Ness? Weren't you two trying to kill each other?_

_He tried to kill me, _Lucas responded softly._ Porky is holding Ness' family hostage, so Ness felt that he had to do whatever Porky demanded. I defeated him and spared his life. He was… thankful for that._

_You beat Ness in a straight up fight? I'm impressed. That kid is tough. _

"Ahem," Fassad started impatiently, pulling Lucas back to reality. "It is true that we don't have your brother here, but we do have his girlfriend. Think of how he would feel if you caused her death…"

"We don't want do this," Isaac chimed in pleasantly. "We just want to do what's best for you. However, we felt that you may need a little… push. If you just follow our directions, everything will turn out fine."

Ninten's cruel smile remained on his face while holding a knife at Kumatora's throat, which made him look like a psychopath. Lucas could only wish that were true; the truth was even more horrifying.

_Ninten must be brainwashed, _Lucas sent to Kumatora.

_Yeah, I picked up on that. Even at the start, he always seemed… detached, somehow._

Lucas recalled how Ninten didn't even seem to notice when the monkey and Kumatora were taken away to be punished yesterday. It didn't surprise Lucas that Ninten had been brainwashed all along.

_Regardless, _Kumatora sent coldly. _You should probably leave now. There's nothing to gain by staying here. _

_I'm not leaving you! _Lucas shouted telepathically. _I… can't leave you to die. _

Kumatora responded with a telepathic sigh. _You and Claus are so similar. Has anyone ever told you that before?_

_Actually, no. Everyone's always told us that we were polar opposites._

_Really? Because you're both stupidly idealistic, _Kumatora sent with a mixture of contempt and envy._ It's what drew me to your brother. You two just seem… so innocent. Let's think about our situation logically. I've already been partially brainwashed, and the process will automatically finish whether you follow their instructions or not. You have nothing to gain by staying._

_But I can't just leave you…_

_You don't have any other options! My hands are tied up, so the only PSI abilities that I can use are telepathy and PSI Magnet. There is also a literal wall between us. What in the world can you do to free me, kid?_

_There's something that I have left, _Lucas asserted, eyes staring intently at Kumatora in determination.

"Ninten," Lucas said, turning to face the shell of a human that held a knife to Kumatora's throat. "What are your parents like?"

Ninten faltered, surprised by Lucas' question. The knife receded by an inch.

"My… parents?" For once, his voice was lined with concern rather than glee.

Kumatora sent Lucas a telepathic groan. _You can't get to him like that._

_I can try! _Lucas sent.

_You can't. You don't know how… overpowering the brainwashing is. You're not looking at Ninten, Lucas. You're looking at his corpse! Talking about his parents isn't going to change that!_

_I can try! _Lucas repeated.

_You're an idiot._

_Duly noted. _Lucas was surprised to find that his beliefs were not altered by what Kumatora thought; he _knew _that he had to try. He would never be able to forgive himself if he ran away now.

"You must have parents," Lucas said.

"The pigmasks… are… my family," Ninten replied, breathing heavily. Uncertainty crept into his voice and fear flashed in his eyes.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Brothers… sisters… I remember…"

"Are you insane?" Fassad roared, his face flushing a bright crimson. "You are master Porky's! You are ours!"

"Yes," Ninten spoke, regaining some of his blind confidence. "I… am…"

"What foods do you like to eat?" Lucas asked. "What foods are special to you? Omelets? Steak? Those Oreos that you were eating earlier? Do any of those have a special meaning to you?"

"Special… meaning…?" Ninten asked, as if confused by the very concept of something being special.

"What hobbies do you like? Swimming? Collecting insects? Playing baseball?" Lucas asked earnestly.

"Hobbies… that I like… I… remember…" Ninten now seemed to be straining his mind trying to understand the concept of liking a hobby.

"You belong to master Porky!" Fassad roared once more, losing any resemblance of composure.

"No!" Lucas exclaimed resolutely. "You belong to yourself and nobody else! Don't let anyone convince you that you're just a pawn, Ninten!"

"I…" Ninten brought the knife away from Kumatora's throat.

"Your name is Ninten!" Lucas shouted in encouragement. "You're not Porky's robot!" Somehow, those words seemed familiar to him.

Ninten's face turned blue. He let go of Kumatora.

"An asthma attack now?" Fassad shouted in disbelief.

_Asthma? _Kumatora sent. _What a lucky break!_

_Not lucky, _Lucas explained with a sigh of relief. _There's a part of Ninten that's still there, a part of him that's horrified at what he's done. That part of him gained control and decided to free himself from Porky's clutches once and for all!_

Kumatora brought the rope tying her hands together up to Ninten's knife. She sliced the bonds with surprising ease. She turned to look Lucas straight in the eye, sadness overshadowing her attempted confident posture.

_I'm sorry for doubting you, Lucas. You were right, _she sent.

_Quick! Let's get out of here! _Lucas exclaimed.

_No._

_What?_

_Escape was never an option for me, Lucas. _Kumatora's telepathic voice was shaking with terror. She tensed her shoulders and brought her hands up to her chest, taking a step away from Lucas as if she feared him._ The brainwashing… it's taking over me! I can't resist it for much longer. Even now… I want to kill you. _

It was true; Lucas could see Kumatora struggling to maintain control of her mind and body. Tears surfaced from the depths of her irises and her mouth twisted into an agonized grimace.

_Goodbye, Lucas, _she sent, turning away. _I drained enough psychic power from Ninten by using PSI Magnet for this. You and your brother are both wonderful people. Tell Claus that I'm sorry and that… I'm glad to have gotten the chance to love him before I died._

_NO! You aren't going to die! This can't be happening… _Lucas ran forward to try to stop her and smacked into the glass wall.

Kumatora turned to look sadly at Lucas one last time, her mouth twisted in a painful frown that was struggling to hold in an anguished scream. Tears glistened in her eyes. Fassad and Isaac were trying to open the door and escape, which apparently required a long passcode, indicated by how Fassad was feverishly typing something on a panel.

"PK Startstorm!" Kumatora shouted weakly, her voice cracking.

Stars aflame fell from the sky, tearing holes first through the ceiling and then through the floor. The first star instantly took out Fassad and Isaac, reducing them to mangled lumps of flesh. Stars struck almost everything in the room (there was a safe spot near and behind Kumatora where the monkey was shaking in terror), multiple of them hitting Ninten. Without hesitation, Kumatora dove into the starstorm, pouncing on Ninten and pinning his arms to the floor, thus preventing him from using PSI. However, this also put Kumatora in harm's way. Falling stars collided with Kumatora, who didn't even seem to notice.

"This will be a mercy," she explained desperately, "For both of us. Better off dead than heartless tools, right?"

"Yes…" Ninten whispered with a cathartic sigh.

_Thank you, Lucas, _Ninten sent. _Thank you for showing me… how to remember. It is good to have something fond to look upon while I die. _

"NO!" Lucas screamed, pounding on the glass door with all of his might. "Ninten! Kumatora! You have Lifeup PSI! You don't have to die!"

_Can't… trust myself, _Ninten sent. _At least if I'm dead, I can't do any more harm… I… can only see black now. So cold… _He sighed once more and closed his eyes.

"Ninten!" Lucas shouted again, falling to his knees in despair. "No! You… can't be dead. Wake up, please… Ninten… please!"

Lucas remembered Ninten's reactions when Lucas talked about family, food, and hobbies. _He did have all of those, deep in his heart, _Lucas realized. _He had all of these cares, all of these worries, all of these loves… And now all of that has been taken away from him! He'll never be able to see his family again! He… won't be able to ever do all of the things that he planned to… _Something about that made Lucas sink further into despair.

"Kumatora, please," Lucas begged, weariness creeping into his voice. "Use Lifeup. Please don't die."

_I'm sorry, Lucas, _She sent.

_Don't you have things that are special to you, too? _Lucas asked.

_Yes, but I can keep those close to me. At least if I die… I won't have to betray anyone else or destroy the things that I do care about._

_PLEASE! _Lucas begged.

_I've made my decision._

Kumatora stood up, closing her eyes and raising her arms up as if to worship the sky that was sending this storm of fiery death. Lucas looked away, not having the decency to watch Kumatora's last seconds of life

"It's funny because the pain is so warm," Kumatora said as if she had discovered the secret to life. "It feels like… being with Claus. Does death love me too?" She finished as if she actually wanted to learn the answer. Kumaotra burst into more hysterical laughter.

Her laughs eventually turned into pained groans which eventually silenced altogether. Lucas turned to look at the scene of destruction before him and instantly wished that he hadn't. The union between Kumatora's head and body had been broken, and her arm was nowhere to be seen. The right part of her face between her hairline and her cheekbone had been partially burned away. Lucas looked over at Ninten, hoping to see a prettier death.

Ninten had a hole where his chest used to be.

Mortified, Lucas retched on the floor, gasping for clean air. He thought for the first time about Isaac's and Fassad's deaths. Even though they were evil people, they both had their woes and loves, just like Ninten, Kumatora, Claus, and Lucas. They deserved to be punished for their heinous actions, but did they deserve to have _everything _taken away from them by the black void of death? Lucas couldn't force himself to say yes after seeing what death really meant.

Four people that were alive this morning were dead now. Even now, Lucas had difficulty wrapping his head around it. And it was only four people! In wars, thousands of people died. _Thousands of people _would feel exactly what Lucas was feeling right now. Lucas tried contemplating how much combined pain that would cause and found that his mind wasn't even capable of_ processing_ the amount of suffering all of the deaths from a war would cause. Lucas let out an enraged, hopeless scream that lasted until his throat became too raw to continue.

How could this world possibly be so cruel?


	9. Chapter 9: What Remains

**Hi everyone! :)**

**I was reading ch. 8 after I published it and realized that it's bad. D:**

**Perhaps bad is a bit strong of a word, but perhaps it isn't. After all, I feel like I failed to correctly show the emotions that the characters were really feeling. To reduce such discord in this chapter, I reviewed it extensively. In the past, editing mostly involved looking for grammatical errors and checking for sentence fluency. For this chapter, I went through each individual sentence and asked myself if I was portraying what I was picturing in my mind to the best of my abilities, making changes if the answer was no.**

**I'm going to go through and do the same style of editing for my past chapters and re-upload them (probably starting with ch. 8 and then going back to ch. 1 and working in order). If you've already read them (and I hope you have if you're looking at chapter 9), there's no need to read them again; the content will be the same. The reason that I'm telling you this is that I'll have to spend more time reviewing and less time writing, resulting in slower uploads. I know, it sucks, but I would rather focus on quality than quantity, and I'm sure that you guys don't want to read more bad writing. :)**

**Additionally, I have my AP Lit test on Wednesday, so I might not be able to upload more until after then. Oh wait... this chapter kind of has a cliffanger xD. I'll try to get the next chapter out before then. :)**

**TL;DR: Reviewing better, slower uploads, hopefully higher quality.**

**SMF:**** Who doesn't hate Porky?... Although, I admit that I do feel bad for him at times. :) Heh, I do feel evil for killing Kumatora and Ninten off (I would make the evil face emoticon, but this website turns them into smilies for some reason...). They both have remaining writing devoted to them and will continue to appear in different ways (I make no promises about bringing them back physically, though).**

* * *

_Like a jolt of lightning, Kumatora's death roused me from my despair. Her insane laugh is a sound that I will surely take to the grave and beyond. Insanity's warm clutches may be tempting, but losing our rational judgment is akin to death._

_Kumatora, who is normally quite pragmatic, would be horrified to see herself fall into the void of insanity from the outside, I feel. If I were to go insane, would I act like Kumatora? The idea scares me._

_I no longer care how other people view me, but I do care about how I view myself. Can I really plunge into the warm, calming waters of insanity knowing that I would be mortified at the thought of going insane just months earlier?_

_I think not._

* * *

Jeff Andonuts worked desperately, trying to find _some way _to help. Working with computers was Jeff's forte. He should be able to do something, right?

Apparently not.

Jeff's fingers streaked across the keyboard, perspiration making them slippery. On a computer screen above him, he watched stars fall from the sky into a lonely room, taking lives for their own as they ravaged and pillaged the cold room. Two people, Fassad and a pigmask, were already dead. Two more, Ninten and Kumatora, would join them in death unless Jeff could save them.

_I have to hurry up!_

Jeff had almost finished hacking into the main system. He should be able to lower the glass wall between Kumatora and Lucas…

Ninten fell still, lying lifeless on the icy, metallic ground, leaking blood from a hole in his chest.

_I have to hurry up!_

Jeff typed as he never had before, knowing that someone's life rested on his ability to hack into the main servers. As he feverishly worked, Jeff heard triumphant laughter from the screen above him. He looked up and saw Kumatora with arms outstretched, embracing the fiery, hellish starstorm.

_NO! Just… a little longer… I can do it… Please…_

Kumatora's head fell off of her body.

In that moment, all emotions fled Jeff, leaving him only with a sense of heavy emptiness. This was what he had spent his whole life trying to do! He had spent countless hours working with these damned machines in hopes that he could make a real difference in the world through his skills.

In the end, it was all for nothing.

Jeff wanted to give up on life and fade away quietly. _If I can't help people, why the HELL did I learn about how to use these stupid machines? If I can't do anything with my skills, what's the point of existing? _The quiet, mechanical room gave no answers.

* * *

Claus heard a sound from above him. He looked up and his victorious smile instantly dropped from his face. Some of those helicopter thingies were moving towards him, their propellers making a chopping sound as they cautiously advanced. Pigmasks leaned out from the doors, firing red lasers at Claus with their guns. Claus snarled, letting his rage fully surface.

"PK Thunder Beta!" Claus roared, putting all of his rage into the devastating psionic attack.

Thunder flashed from the sky, striking two of the helicopters and causing them veer and eventually crash into nearby buildings. Claus smiled at the progress. _Before, I was scared of killing someone, _a part of Claus' mind peeped. _Now I'm happy that people are dying around me? This isn't right! _Claus ignored that voice within him. He would focus on morality _after _he survived.

The remaining pigmasks seemed to pick up on the fact that they would be safer out of the air, as it would make them much smaller targets for PK Thunder. The helicopters hastily landed and a horde of pigmasks started streaming out.

_Well, _Claus thought. _That's not good. _He turned around and resumed running for his life.

* * *

The insane laugh that must have come from Kumatora sent an icy chill down Ness' spine. Instinctively, he ran towards the direction of the laugh.

_If she's brainwashed… _Ness thought. He didn't know what he would do if she ended up with the same terrifying smile and frozen heart as Ninten. Ninten's malicious transformation still threatened to send him over the edge at times.

Ness saw the door leading to the room where Lucas and the others were. The door was locked. Ness pounded on the door with clenched fists. _Damn it Jeff, you had better get this door open soon… _

The door opened in front of Ness. _Thank you!_ Sighing in relief, he entered and stopped dead in his tracks. Four corpses lay in the room, but Ness only cared about one of them at the moment.

"Ninten!" He shouted, running towards the boy that was laying on the ground with a massive hole in his chest. "Ninten!" _No… is this really happening? _"Please, Ninten, open your eyes… Please don't be dead…" Ninten almost looked peaceful, resting there. His serene face just made it look like he was sleeping. Ness swallowed an urge to break down crying.

"Did you know him before he was brainwashed?" Lucas asked. Ness turned around, noticing Lucas for the first time.

"Ninten was… very special to me_,_" Ness said, unable to take his eyes off of the corpse.

He looked up and saw that the starstorm had ravaged the video cameras that monitored the room. Ness could speak freely, a rarity that he cherished.

"We were captured by the pigmasks on the same day," Ness explained. "I was terrified of what they would do to me and my family. Ninten… comforted me. All that he had to offer were words, but his words proved to be enough to keep me going. He told me that so long as we had each other, we would be able to tough it out through hard times. Without him, I don't think that I would have made it. I would be…" Ness and possibly his family would probably be dead in a gutter somewhere. Ness blinked out the image.

"It sounds like he meant the world to you," Lucas responded, his teary eyes meeting Ness'. "I know how that feels."

Ness nodded, trying his hardest not to cry. He failed.

"He was… brainwashed the next day," Ness continued, tears blurring his vision and sorrow forcing him to shiver. "It's so sad… he was such a _wonderful_ person. I wish that he had just died instead of being turned into someone that he despised. It seemed like Porky was trying to prove Ninten's words wrong… to prove that friendship could be broken by a cold-hearted machine. But he was wrong."

"Why?" Lucas asked, cocking his head in an attempt to analyze Ness' words and emotions.

"While Ninten left me, his words remained," Ness whispered in thankful sorrow. "I clung onto each one like an insecure child latches onto their mother. They were… all that I had left. By keeping that part of Ninten close to me, I was able to survive in this living hell. We only knew each other for one day, but he impacted my life more than most people that I've known for years."

"Wow," Lucas replied with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Ness said with a weary sigh. "I was hoping that Ninten could come back. He really deserved it, you know? But… I guess that he'll never get the chance to live out his life." Something about that made Ness want to jump out of a window, if only so that the wind would blow away all of the weight that he felt.

Lucas nodded in understanding, more tears sprouting from his bloodshot eyes.

"I feel the same way about Kumatora," Lucas whispered, sobs cutting off some of his words. "She was scarred, Ness. _Nobody_ should look at death as a friend as she did. She deserved to know the true beauty of life. She should have known birds chirping at the orange sunrise. She should have known leisurely days at the pond, cool water washing away her anxieties. She should have known how to embrace someone with her arms, creating a mutual pact of love and trust. But now she'll never have the chance. That… makes me so sad."

Ness nodded, his heart weighing him down like a backpack filled with stones. For minutes Ness and Lucas sat there in silence, thinking about what it truly meant to die.

* * *

Claus didn't know where he was now, and he didn't care. Out of his fringe vision he saw ruined buildings and people with empty eyes wearing tattered clothes, but he didn't take the time to analyze his surroundings. All that mattered was staying one step in front of the pigmasks. Claus threw blasts of PK Fire to discourage pursuit, hearing them sizzle upon impact with the concrete ground. The pigmasks barreled through, squealing in pain. Claus figured that he must be worth a lot for them to go through such an effort. The pigmasks continuously fired their beams, many of which grazed Claus, leaving burn marks on his clothes.

_How long can I keep running? _He asked himself, but he already knew the answer.

He would keep running for as long as he needed to.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Ness asked, angry at nobody in particular. "What can we _possibly do_ after this? Our worlds have just been smashed to bloody pieces. Are we supposed to just shrug it off?"

"No," Lucas replied in a melancholy voice. "If we try to deny the pain, we are no better than Fassad or Porky. We have to remember those who have fallen."

"Ninten always said to face challenges with a smile," Ness said, putting Lucas' words on hold. "I… think that he may be right. But… how am I supposed to smile at this?"

"Oh!" Lucas realized, his eyes darting wide open. "When you were acting jovial…"

"It wasn't a farce. I tried to take his advice and act happy, even though I was in hell and he had been reduced to a shell of his former self. I figured that… maybe if I could fool myself into thinking that I was all right, I could survive."

"I don't think that self-deception is what he meant," Lucas replied with surprising confidence. "We have to take the pain, Ness. If we try to deny the pain, we devalue Ninten's and Kumatora's lives. We should mourn now, but still make sure that we can see enough happiness in the world to be able to laugh and smile later. That's how I see it."

Ness was surprised by Lucas' acceptance of the pain. Ness had always seen Lucas' emotional responses as a weakness of sorts, but now Ness could see who Lucas really was.

Lucas accepted his negative emotions and was able to live with them. That, more than Ness' happy façade or philosophical emptiness, was true strength. He was able to cry when he had to, not letting the tears tear him apart. Instead of having to hide behind a barrier of denial, Lucas took these emotions straight on.

The collared monkey walked up to Lucas, looking at his sorrowful face in concern.

_Salsa, _Ness sent to the monkey. _I am so glad to see that you are not hurt, my friend._

Salsa the monkey smiled at Ness.

_There's something that I need you to help me with. Please… lead Lucas to the invention room._

Salsa nodded and tugged at Lucas' shorts.

"Lucas," Ness said, letting a ray of hope into his voice. "You need to escape this nauseating 'school.' Follow the monkey. His name is Salsa. He will lead you to the invention room. Take the flying machine and fly straight up. You should see a path leading out; I discovered it while playing around with those things. We have wasted too much time already."

"What about you?" Lucas asked softly.

"I have to stay and pretend like I'm loyal to Porky. He still has my family."

"Ness…"

"Don't worry about me. Or… if you do worry about me, don't let it destroy you," Ness said, remembering how Lucas could take a surprising amount of emotion and still not break.

Lucas looked into Ness' vulnerable eyes and nodded.

* * *

Claus ran into a dead end.

"Damn it!" He shouted, feeling hopeless anger manipulate his body.

Turning around, he saw that several pigmasks and a tank were advancing towards him. Time seemed to slow as the pigmasks ran forward, each step that the pigmasks taking hours.

"So this is where it ends," Claus announced, not afraid in the slightest. Now that he had accepted death, he had_ nothing_ left to fear. He just wanted to take as many of these pigmasks down as possible.

"PK Starstorm!" Claus heard from somewhere nearby. Stars cut through the smog of New Pork, smashing into pigmasks. Claus saw his chance as hope began to burrow its way into his heart.

"PK Love Beta!"

Hexagons sprouted from Claus' mind, launching themselves at the pigmasks. The hexagons collided with the pigmasks, killing many and throwing the tank on its back. _I was worried before about whether or not the pigmasks that I fought would die, _a small part of Claus said, _And now I don't care at all? This isn't right._

Claus was forced to hold his thought as a foreign-looking boy wearing a white outfit with a black belt entered Claus' alley. In New Pork's aura of industrial efficiency, this boy's strange attire caused Claus to gape.

"Hello," the boy said, his voice heavily accented. "My name is Poo."

* * *

Lucas approached the steel door to the room that would provide his salvation. _The last time I was here, everything seemed so normal. _Salsa fiddled with the door and eventually managed to get it open.

"Thank you," Lucas said sincerely. "I don't know what I did to deserve this from you. You are better than most humans here in New Pork."

Salsa seemed to be happy with the compliment and entered the room. Lucas' eyes fixed on the flying machine, a helmet attached to a jetpack that could be powered by psychic energy alone.

"I could take you with me," Lucas told Salsa. "You would be free."

_Wait, I'm talking to a monkey, _Lucas realized. However, Salsa seemed to understand Lucas. The monkey shook his head with a confidence that dispelled all of Lucas' concerns.

"Still have something left to take care of?" Lucas asked. "Well, don't let me stop you. Good luck, whatever it is that you're doing."

As Lucas approached the flying machine, dozens of thoughts flashed through Lucas' head. How was Claus doing? Lucas felt an intense shame at forgetting about his brother during recent events. Also, how _had _Lucas known what to do in the PSI fight? How had he used PK Love Omega, an ability that he didn't even have access to? Lucas cut off his thoughts. There was still so much that he had to think about, but for now he needed to escape this prison.

Feeling a sense of finality, Lucas put the helmet on and took off, feeling the thrust carry him upward.

* * *

Lucas flew out onto the streets of New Pork, seeing once again the sickening splendor of the city. Electric lights lined every building, food was tossed carelessly on the ground to rot, and people had constant looks of mistrust on their faces. _Dang, this machine is hard to control, _he thought. A girl wearing a pink dress with blond pigtails and blue eyes screamed at the sight of Lucas landing on the ground.

_Am I really that scary? _Lucas thought.

"PK Freeze Gamma!" The girl shouted in panic.

_Wait, what? _

As Lucas was hit with the ice blast, the girl covered her mouth in shock. Realizing that the government was capturing people with PSI powers, she ducked and ran into an alley.

_Why am I scary enough to cause someone to reveal their PSI powers? I know that this helmet looks futuristic, but really… _

Lucas heard the sound of anther jetpack behind him. Lucas turned around to see another person wearing a similar flying machine to Lucas', only this one was more advanced. The helmet that this person wore was more of a mask; it obscured all of his face except for his mouth and a single eye. His jetpack had wings lined with rockets. The man wore an imposing black uniform and dull, orange pants. He carried a massive orange blade in his left hand that radiated heat. Lucas couldn't tell the man's entire facial expression, but it looked… empty.

With a start, Lucas noticed that the person standing right before him had the _exact same _build as him.

A part of Lucas knew this man.

"The masked man…" Lucas whispered.

The part of Lucas that recognized this person started screaming in terror.


	10. Chapter 10: Relief

**Hi everyone! :)**

**I just wanted to make something clear: your reviews mean a LOT to me. Seriously, I wouldn't be half as interested in this story if I felt that nobody cared about it. :D I really appreciate all of the feedback and am eager for more. There's no pressure to write a review, but if you want to then PLEASE DO. You have no idea (well, maybe you do; a lot of people here are writers xD) how much it means to me. Thanks! ;)**

**I have way too much time for my own good, so I'm on this site more than I should be. xD I also love chatting with people on this site, so feel more than welcome to send me a private message. **

**Also, in case you haven't noticed, I sometimes take my own approach to my characters (I think that Ness is the best example so far). There will be some characters in this chapter that are very different from their Mother (series) counterparts. I wouldn't change the characters if I felt that it didn't add to the story, though.**

**Onto the review responses!**

**A**** Fan:**** Thanks for reviewing!**** Hm... Are you connecting the masked man and Poo, or do I suck at reading reviews? Because the masked man and Poo aren't related (so far as you know *evil laugh* :D). Did I do a bad job of explaining that in my chapter? **

**Heh, I'm glad that you're immersed in my world of unexplained mysteries. :D The masked man mystery won't be revealed for a while, but I do answer whether the girl is Paula or Ana. However, I'm not going to spoil it for you now. ;)**

**SMF:** **Hey, it's always nice to read your reviews! :) Yup, Poo's here and he's going to play a moderately important role! ...I didn't win any points with that sentence, did I? xD And don't worry, I may write about stuff that's probably darker than it should be, but even I draw the line and won't write suicides for fully functioning people like Jeff. There may be more deaths, but I don't think that any of them will be quite as... vivid as Kuma's and Ninten's (I'm kinda regretting adding some of the gore in...). Yeah, I feel bad for Ness too D; (even though I'm the one writing it... xD). Next chapter is going to have some philosophical Ness solos! I'm really excited to write it! :D**

**Guest: Hey, thanks for the feedback! If it makes you feel any better, both this chapter and the next won't have cliffhangers (sadly D:). **

**I really appreciate that you're telling me that ch. 8 was a bit too gory. I'll try to make the next chapters a bit less visual. I added the gore in to show how much it must have disturbed Lucas, making his rationalization about war more powerful, but I can totally find other ways to do that! :D Hm... should I go back and tone down some of the gore in that scene, or leave it as it is? I guess I'll have to decide that eventually! xD**

* * *

_Right as I resolved to keep my sanity about me, I was blessed with a visitor from the realm of the dead. My relationship with this person was paradoxical: I knew them both very well and not at all._

* * *

"Wait," Claus said in disbelief. "Your name is Poo?"

"Did I stutter?" Poo replied sharply.

"Like… poop? Dung? Fecal matter? Droppings?"

"As impressive as your grasp of vocabulary may be, we should focus on the task at hand," Poo stated curtly.

_Argh, I wasn't implying… _Claus cut off his thought. He didn't want to get into a fight with this "Poo." At least not yet…

"What do we do?" Claus asked, trying to seem upbeat.

"You can use PK Love… you may the person we need," Poo mused, ignoring Claus' question.

"What's this?" Claus asked in alarm, narrowing his eyes in distrust. "Are you going to try to kidnap me too?"

"I will if I have to," Poo replied bluntly, "But you have no reason not to come with me. I just proved that I'm the enemy of the pigmasks."

"Just because you're an enemy of the pigmasks doesn't mean that you're my friend!"

"Still, who would you rather be with? Someone that you don't trust, or someone that you know is evil?" Poo asked, pointing to the next group of pigmasks charging towards the two psychic kids.

The choice was not so difficult. Claus nodded.

"Okay… Where do we go now?"

"We are headed to a city called Twoson. I have an… ally for you to meet," Poo said uncertainly.

"Ally?"

"It's not important right now. PK Teleport Beta!"

Poo grabbed onto Claus' hand, and the world started to swirl around them.

* * *

The masked man swung at Lucas with his beam sword. His strokes were precise and swift; Lucas had a hard time deflecting them with his stick. Sparks flew as the masked man's attacks slowly broke down Lucas' wall of defense.

_Claus! _Something inside of Lucas yelled in anguish. _The masked man is Claus! _Lucas faltered in surprise, causing him to get slashed in the leg. This was another one of those _feelings _like the one that allowed him to identify Kumatora. Could this heartless robot really be Claus…? Lucas looked at the man and saw again that he had the exact same build as Lucas. Lucas couldn't say why, but he knew that the masked man's body was extremely similar to his own. Claus, being Lucas' twin, would fit that description better than anyone else in the world.

"Claus…" Lucas whispered.

If this was really Claus, he was surely brainwashed like Ninten.

"Is this my fault?" Lucas asked out loud, looking up to the sky in guilt. "When I decided to escape, did I leave my brother to this fate?"

Lucas couldn't fight back. He didn't know what he would do, but he just _couldn't _kill someone that might be Claus. But… this person was clearly brainwashed. Would death be a mercy for him?

"Claus!" Lucas shouted. "Is that you?"

The masked man responded by using PK Love. Tears formed in Lucas' eyes, and not from the pain of the psionic attack.

_Claus is the only one besides me that I know who can use PK Love. It… has to be him. _Lucas almost didn't bother getting up off of the ground. The masked man mechanically walked up to Lucas and raised his sword, preparing for a dramatic strike. No expression showed on his face.

Suddenly, smoke got caught in Lucas' eyes. Where was the smoke coming from? Lucas coughed, thick smog flowing into his lungs. He felt someone grab his shoulder. It wasn't the masked man; somehow Lucas could tell by the way the person grabbed him that they had too much emotion to be a brainwashed automaton. Lucas ran out of the smoke cloud and saw the person that grabbed his shoulder. He was wearing a blue shirt, red jeans, and had a small mustache and beard. Overall, he looked… unremarkable, but Lucas recognized him.

"Duster! Is that you?" Lucas had known Duster, although not well, when he lived in Tazmilly.

The man nodded.

"Follow me," he said curtly. "We need to get out."

Lucas didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Claus appeared in a sunlit town. That in itself refreshed Claus; he couldn't usually see the sun in New Pork well due to the smog. A natural breeze rippled through the air, and Claus took a breath of fresh air. He heard the vibrant sound of birds chirping in the air. The town that he was in felt… more advanced than Tazmily, surely, but still… simple.

"Welcome to Twoson," Poo said. "You must be happy to be out of New Pork, yes? The air there is not good for you."

Suddenly, a searing pain overtook Claus. His legs could no longer support him. Claus fell to the ground, writhing in pain and clutching his legs, so pained that he couldn't manage to let out a scream. Strangely, the pain didn't appear in any other parts of his body.

Poo looked at Claus, blinking in confusion. He came to a sudden realization (Claus didn't know what) and picked Claus up off of the ground.

_Well, this isn't very dignified, _Claus thought through the pain as Poo carried him through Twoson.

* * *

Claus woke up in a bed. He felt… completely fine. What was that bout of pain that had overtaken him?

"The pain must have been intense," Poo said from the other side of the room. Claus examined his surroundings. He was in a simple room with a wooden bed, desk, and a few other furnishings that made it look personalized, something that New Pork's efficient buildings lacked.

"What was that?" Claus asked.

"Your body thought it was hurt. It happens when you take mortal damage from nonpsionic attacks sometimes. When you break a bone, your body delays the pain for a while so that you can escape from your situation. Your body was wounded and didn't recognize that it had been healed, so the pain you felt was carried over from when you were initially hurt."

"Oh, that must have happened when I jumped from that building. No wonder my legs were burning with pain," Claus finished with a wry smile.

"You seem to be in good spirits," Poo noted.

Claus shrugged.

"It's just pain. Pain is temporary. The fact that I almost died makes me glad to be alive."

"That is good," Poo said evenly.

_Would it kill the kid to show some emotion every once in a while?_ Claus thought.

"That is good," Poo repeated, "Because we have a job for you."

_Oh, this will be good, _Claus thought ironically.

* * *

Duster led Lucas through the slums of New Pork City, wading through the trash and grime. Everywhere Lucas looked, he could see death and disease. People looked at him with hollow stomachs and hollow eyes, not caring enough to beg.

"Those people," Lucas said softly. "They have nothing."

Duster nodded sadly.

"Ninten had something left that I could access. But these people… what if one of them were brainwashed into a zealot? I don't think that they would ever come back," Lucas rambled, trying to sort out his thoughts.

"Brainwashing?" Duster asked.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "Porky is gathering PSI kids and brainwashing them." It hit Lucas for the first time that he didn't know who Porky was. Sure, he had heard the name tossed around, but he had never seen this "Porky" before. Another question to file…

Duster's face went pale.

"Who… was brainwashed?"

"Well, Ninten, he's the kid that I was talking about earlier. Then this girl named Kumatora…"

"What? You know Kumatora?" Duster asked feverishly.

"Err… yes."

"What happened?"

Lucas turned away.

"Was she brainwashed?"

"Dead."

Duster stopped in his tracks.

"I… are you sure?"

"She was being brainwashed and managed to kill herself before the process completed," Lucas said, leaving out the part where she went insane. Lucas choked down the tears that came to his eyes. The way that Kumatora had died… was _horrible. _

"I… knew her well," Duster whispered.

"I'm sorry. I think that the person that I was just fighting was my brother. We've both lost someone."

"Wait, what?"

"He has the same build as I do and has access to a move that only the two of us know. That's pretty conclusive evidence."

"What move?"

"PK Love."

Duster's eyes lit up.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"It's time for a story," Duster replied.

* * *

Claus was standing in a different room with Poo and a timid boy whose name was Lloid.

"Have you heard of the seven needles?" Poo asked.

"Nope," Claus replied.

"Basically, there's a dragon living under these islands, and…"

"Wait. Is this a joke? I had no idea that you had a sense of humor, Poo!"

Poo looked annoyed and continued: "And it's sleeping. Seven needles are inserted in the island to keep it that way. They are imbued with powerful psionic energy. If someone with a good heart pulls the majority of the needles, the dragon will wake to destroy the world and create a better one. If someone with an evil heart pulls the majority of the needles…" Poo didn't need to finish for Claus to know that bad things would happen.

"Nobody's heart is fully good or evil, though," Claus said. "How does the dragon decide?"

Poo shook his head.

"I don't know. I'm not an expert on the matter."

"Okay… why do I need to know this?" Claus asked.

"Only someone with PK Love can pull the needles," Poo replied.

"That's great, but…"

"Porky already has someone who knows PK Love on his side. One of the needles has already been pulled."

A chill went down Claus' spine. Someone that Porky had that knew PK Love… that could only be one person.

"Lucas… LUCAS!" Claus shouted with enough rage to melt Poo's disapproving look.

_I shouldn't have left him… I didn't even think about him! I'm his older brother. It was supposed to be my job to protect him…_

* * *

"Seven needles, huh," Lucas said. "And the masked man has already pulled one of them? So is it my fated duty to go out and pull the rest of them?"

"You sound bitter," Duster commented.

"I… just don't like feeling that I have no control over my life. But don't worry; I'm not selfish enough to turn away from this. It does deal with the end of the world, after all."

Duster nodded. Lucas and Duster approached a door to one of the tattered houses. It reminded Lucas of the place that he and Claus had stayed for months in New Pork before they had been captured. Duster opened the door, which creaked and groaned. Inside stood the girl who had used PK Freeze on Lucas earlier. She screamed again.

"Don't worry, Ana," Duster said calmly. "This one's friendly. He knows some tricks, too."

_Is that supposed to be a joke? _

"Umm," Lucas said. "Would you mind explaining why you're so scared of me? I had no idea that my 5'2" physique was so terrifying."

"You… can talk?" Ana asked timidly.

_Oh, she thought that I was the masked man. _

"I'm not the masked man with the beam sword thingy," Lucas said casually, taking off his helmet and jetpack. Ana's tight shoulders relaxed, although she still appeared wary. She looked to Duster.

"Do you think that I couldn't tell if this kid was a kidnapper?" Duster asked, so incredulous that Lucas didn't think that he was being wholly serious. "Lucas is different. Like I said, he knows some tricks, and he doesn't even pee in the house."

_What the… am I supposed to be some kind of dog? _

"Kidnapper?" Lucas asked.

Ana's face instantly lit up red with anger.

"The bastard took Ninten!"

Lucas froze. _Ninten… _he thought with a melancholy nostalgia that should have been reserved for those who were long gone instead of someone who died today._ Wait, something's not right. _

"You're sure of that? That the masked man kidnapped Ninten?" Lucas inquired aggressively.

"Yeah… I saw him take Ninten away with my own eyes. Why?"

Lucas sighed in relief.

"He's not Claus!"

"…"

"Hey, you two can at least _try _to feel glad that my brother isn't a robotic kidnapper and needle-puller?" _Actually, it doesn't sound that intimidating when I put it that way… _Lucas realized.

Ana raised an eyebrow.

"How did you expect _me _to know?" She quickly switched gears, a determined look appearing on her fragile face. "Also, your face reacted when I mentioned Ninten. Don't try to deny it! Tell me, what do you know about Ninten?"

_Man, she's getting worked up about this, _Lucas thought, _Not that I can blame her. I was a bit zealous in my questions as well when Claus was concerned, and I'm normally shy. _

"I… have some bad news for you," Lucas said, his eyes looking straight into Ana's. Ana faltered, taking a step back and putting a hand over her heart.

* * *

"Excuse me?" Lloid asked, knocking on Claus' door. "M-May I come in?"

_I don't want to see anyone. Still… when I talked about my problems with Lucas, I felt so much better. _

"Come in," Claus said.

Lloid entered nervously, looking around to see if anything was out of place. He fidgeted in place, clearly unsure of what to say.

"I'm not a monster," Claus said, not bothering to look at Lloid. "You don't have to be afraid."

"Err… yes, of course," Lloid said, still looking uncomfortable.

"I've been thinking about Lucas and other things," Claus said. "Are you afraid of hurting other people?"

Lloid seemed taken aback by the sudden question.

"Yes… yes, of course. I don't like hurting other people."

"What would happen if you discovered that you could kill people easily? What would happen if you protected yourself and you realized that you had just killed someone and didn't even feel bad about it?"

"I… don't know," Lloid replied. "I think that… I would be sorry if I were to kill someone, no matter what. I always seem to understand how other people feel. I don't think that I could kill somebody and just… not feel bad."

Claus nodded. Lloid seemed similar to Lucas, who wouldn't fend off bullies for fear of hurting them. Lucas' and Lloid's mentalities meant that they might not have the heart to perform a necessary deed, but Claus' mentality threatened to turn him into an uncaring monster no better than Fassad. _It… just feels like there's no right answer, _Claus thought bitterly._ Do I embrace the part of me that wants the good guys to win at any cost? _

"Err…" Lloid started again.

"Hmm?" Claus said, giving Lloid the confirmation necessary to continue.

"I wanted to ask you something. Lucas… is your brother, right?"

"Yup."

"When did you last see him?"

"Today… wait, how long was I knocked out for?"

"Just a couple of hours."

"Yeah, I saw him earlier today." It was hard to believe that he really _had _seen Lucas so recently; so much had happened today.

"Then… he can't be the masked man."

"What?" Claus jolted up in place, eyes intently focused on Lloid. "What did you say?"

"Lucas… isn't the masked man. The masked man pulled the needle two days ago. Since you've seen Lucas since then…"

A smile appeared on Claus face, and the world around him got a bit brighter, a bit more vivid.

"Lucas… you're alive!" Claus threw his arms up in victory, relief washing out all of his anxieties. "Thank you so much, Lloid!"

Lloid nodded, a nervous smile popping up on his face that made Claus grin wider.

"It's pretty late," Claus said. "We should get some sleep."

Lloid nodded again.

"Poo has the plans for tomorrow," he announced. "We're planning a rescue mission for one of our allies."

* * *

Lucas finished telling the tragedy of Ninten's and Kumatora's deaths, ending with Ness' story of how Ninten had helped him through hard times. Ana seemed to be taking it calmly.

"I… loved Ninten like a brother," she said wistfully. "But… I guess he's gone. I'm glad that I got to know him. It seems that he was able to help someone else out. That's so like him…" Ana looked outside, seeing that it was dark. "It's late. We should go to sleep. If you hear me crying, don't bother me. I just need some time to mourn."

Lucas nodded, understanding that each person dealt with death in their own way. Both he and Claus fell asleep simultaneously in different cities, each one of them ecstatic that the other wasn't the masked man.

But if neither Lucas nor Claus was the masked man, who was?


	11. Chapter 11: Sweet Dreams

**Hello! Happy day before mother's day! :)**

**This story isn't divided into parts, but if it were, this would be the start to part 2 of 3. At this point, the story will contain more adventure elements and the majority of it will take place away from New Pork. In the theoretical part 3, the focus will return to New Pork City for the finale. Just thought I'd give a heads up to anyone who cares.**

**This one has a bit of fluff, but... I had to put it somewhere, and I figured that it might be a nice break from all of the death/almost death. The beginning of this chapter is a bit darker, but then it lightens up (It's about time, huh?). This might seem pretty egotistical, but I totally lifted my own spirits by writing the happier parts of this chapter! xD**

**Well, time to respond to reviews!**

**A Fan:**** Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence! :) Ooh... how much should I reveal? I want to blurt out everything about this story, but I probably should let people discover stuff on their own. xD I guess one thing that I will say is that OCs or no, I take my own approach with my characters. I put a part of myself into almost every character that I write (Fassad is the major exception here; ew!). For example, I picture Claus as someone who acts before thinking, but I totally can't relate to that, so I make him think _a little _before he acts. ;)**

**Hm... It surprises me a little that most OCs hurt their stories. It seems to me that if someone creates a character on their own, they would be more likely to truly _know _the character. Although, I feel like I know my major characters pretty well... Oh, by the way, you seemed to put a lot of thought into your speculation. It makes me happy to see that people care enough about my story to think like that. :)**

**Guest:**** I got your review in my email but not on the actual site, so I'm just going to... act casual.**

**Thanks for the encouragement! Like I said above, this chapter is a bit slow, but after this the story will continue on its course. I'm actually super excited to write the next chapter after this one; I hope that you'll be satisfied! :)**

* * *

_I was able to finally talk about my feelings to someone, and my visitor even listened. _

_She had a purpose. Purpose… that word has a nice, foreign ring to it._

(ILH)

Jeff Andonuts covered his face in shame, wondering _how this could have possibly happened. _Two people, (no, four!) were dead. Words alone could not describe the significance of that event; words alone could not describe the hole that had been left in Jeff's heart. Jeff kept replaying the catastrophic events in his mind. He remembered Ninten's face turn blue and eyes bulging out of their sockets, he remembered Kumatora's mad laughter and mouth that had been twisted in anguish. Both of them had struggled for a way out. _If I had been faster, could I have saved them? Maybe… they could still be alive and laughing. _That fantasy was so close that Jeff could practically touch it.

Ness entered the room, his face deadly serious and his fists clenched in anger.

"We need to talk," Ness said threateningly.

"Ness…" Jeff said, his heart aching. He hated seeing Ness so _cold. _

"I'm not safe anymore, Jeff," Ness said, his voice betraying a primal terror. "They brainwashed Kumatora; I could easily be next."

"But your deal…"

"To hell with that! Do you think that they care? I spent time mourning after Ninten's death like a lowly _human_! The pigmasks may take it onto themselves to correct that error," Ness took deep, heavy breaths, his unchanging iron eyes staring into Jeff's fragile soul.

"I…" Jeff didn't know what to say to that.

"I have a solution," Ness said darkly, looking uncomfortably towards the ground. Jeff's heart skipped a beat.

"This solution… you're not planning on…" Jeff fumbled, his eyes wide open in denial.

"Killing myself? Not right now."

Jeff sighed.

"But I need to make sure that I can if I need to," Ness said, his voice devoid of concern. "You were talking earlier about a poison that you have access to…"

"I said that it was a horrible creation!" Jeff interrupted. "You don't… mean to try to take some, do you?"

"If I get brainwashed, I need to kill myself," Ness said evenly. "Do you deny that?"

"…"

"I need to have this poison on me if I get captured."

"Ness…"

"Don't 'Ness' me! We both know that this is what I have to do!" Ness shouted, losing his temper. He flinched at his own words and looked at Jeff with horrified eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell…"

"I don't blame you," Jeff replied darkly, feelings of betrayal nevertheless flooding through his system. "This city often causes people to yell in anguish. Take some poison with you if you must, Ness. Just promise me that you won't use it until you have to."

Ness smiled sincerely out of friendship and sorrow.

"I promise, Jeff. Thank you for understanding. I… know that it's not pleasant. It took me hours to come to this decision myself."

Jeff went into another room and came back with a bottle of pills.

"Just one of these will kill you painlessly. They melt on your tongue, so you don't need to worry about swallowing."

Ness nodded in appreciation.

"Thanks again."

"It's getting late," Jeff commented. "You should get some sleep."

"Yeah. Good night, sleep tight," Ness said with a sigh of relief as he closed the steel door on his way out of the room.

_Just make sure to wake up in the morning, _Jeff thought.

(ILH)

Claus _appeared_ on a patch of grassy land, a brick bridge extending forward into oblivion. Empty space surrounded him; Claus saw no other land besides the bridge and his small island. Looking out on the horizon, he saw a lime green sky with no sun. _This is a dream, _Claus thought. He remembered falling asleep in Twoson. This _had _to be a dream.

So why did it feel so real?

Claus shook his head. He would find no answers through contemplation alone. He set out walking on the bridge. After what seemed like an eternity, the bridge ended at a patch of … sunflowers? Yes, that was it. Sunflowers, each one radiating light like the sun itself, covering the patch of land completely in their radiance. Memories tugged at his heart; his mother had always loved sunflowers.

On the other side of the sunflower patch was another bridge identical to the one Claus walked on. The sky now appeared a delicate pink for whatever reason. Another person walked onto the sunflower patch from this bridge. Claus would have recognized him anywhere.

"Lucas!" Claus shouted in glee, running forward to embrace his brother.

"Hi… Claus," Lucas said, smiling weakly. "Stop… squeezing me so hard."

Claus laughed, tears of joy coming to his eyes.

"It's really you!" Claus exclaimed. "You're alive!"

"I was worried about you too. Where did you go, Claus?"

"I… kinda jumped out of the building that we were stuck in."

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"I lived, okay! If you eat food after taking mortal damage, you live! I put that nugget of wisdom to good use."

Lucas laughed.

"It's good to hear about more of your antics, Claus. I'm in the slums of New Pork right now. Maybe we should meet up in real life."

"Sorry, I got teleported to a faraway town… wait, what do you mean when you say real life?"

"This is a dream," Lucas replied, seeming surprised that he needed to explain. "It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, Claus. I mean, just look at the orange sky!"

It was true; the sky's now shone a brilliant orange that blanketed the sunflowers in a golden light like a sunrise would.

"But this is no normal dream," Claus maintained confidently.

"Correct," a female voice spoke. That voice… could it be…?

The ghost of Claus' and Lucas' mother appeared, swaying with the sunflowers in an unseen wind.

"Mother!" The two boys shouted simultaneously in a mix of surprise and joy. She looked just like the ghosts from the stories, transparent and incorporeal but retaining all of her features.

"It's good to see you too," the ghost said with a motherly smile.

"Is that really you?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, I am still Hinawa and your mother," she replied warmly.

"Where are we?" Claus asked.

"You are in a place called Magicant." Hinawa explained. "Normally, this place would appear as a world within your mind, but I managed to bring your worlds together and create this neutral zone with the help of an acquaintance of mine." She paused, deep in thought. "Actually, you would normally need the eight melodies to even get here, but… my acquaintance is quite resourceful."

"Who is this person?" Lucas asked. "Can we meet them?"

Hinawa smiled.

"I don't like to hide things from you, but you would really be better off not knowing."

Lucas nodded, trusting his mother's judgment. Claus was less certain of the truth behind his mother's assertion but kept silent. _I never doubted her before, _he thought. _Am I becoming twisted and cynical? _

"So," Claus said, attempting to rid his mind of his unpleasant thoughts by replacing them with others. "What's it like after you die? Did you… suffer?"

"I apologize again, but I really am not licensed to tell you that. Information like that could… throw off the balance of the universe." She smiled playfully to indicate that she wasn't being wholly serious and didn't want to fully explain her reasoning. "Being allowed to come to the realm of the living alone is a rare occurrence. I'm so glad that I'm getting the chance to see you two again."

Claus' heart swelled with joy. In spite of all of the horrors Claus had faced in New Pork, he allowed himself to smile.

"However," she continued. "I have another reason for calling you here. You two have possession of an ability with indescribable power, for better or for worse. The power to pull the needles… PK Love… it makes you a target."

Claus and Lucas both nodded. The information did not surprise them.

"Even though you two are worlds apart, you need to establish a strong bond with each other," Hinawa insisted. "If you both hang onto the bond between you two, it will allow you to flourish in the harshest of situations."

"You mean that it will help us resist being brainwashed," Lucas stated. It was not a question.

"…Yes," Hinawa conceded.

_How did you know? _Claus sent.

_I got past Ninten's brainwashing by talking to him about his family and special interests. He was able to muster enough will to kill himself. _

_So Ninten was brainwashed?_ Claus replied._ That doesn't surprise me._

"However, I am sure that you know _why _bonds help you to resist brainwashing," Hinawa said.

"If we have more to care about, we hang onto our lives more tightly," Lucas instantly responded.

"Yes," Hiniwa affirmed with another smile. "And you will need to hang onto your lives whether you become brainwashed or not. Your journey will not be easy, I fear."

Lucas nodded, conceding the point.

"I don't think that you have to worry about our bond, mother," Lucas said impishly. "After all, even our _names _are intertwined. You rearrange the letters of one of our names to spell the other…"

Claus' eyes lit up in surprise.

"You didn't figure the name thing out, Claus?" Lucas teased. "You only had, what, 15 years?"

"I just didn't notice!" Claus said defensively. "Is that a crime?"

Hinawa's ghost laughed.

"It's good to see that you have confidence," she said sweetly. "However, I assume that you realize that names have little to do with the situation at hand."

"Of course," Lucas replied with a grin. "I was just messing around."

Hinawa's ghost nodded, seeming satisfied. "On that note… I must be off. I fear that I cannot stay in the realm of the living for long. You can wake up whenever you want by _willing _yourself to wake. It was so nice to get a chance to see you two again. I love you both so much…"

She faded away.

"It was nice seeing mother again," Claus said. He stopped, noticing that Lucas' expression had turned downcast.

"Claus, I have to tell you something," Lucas said, his voice shaking. A wave of worry blanketed Claus, smothering him in anticipation.

"Claus, Kumatora is dead."

Claus felt like he had been stabbed. Kumatora… gone? He just didn't see how it could be possible.

"Her last words were about you," Lucas whispered, tears coming to his eyes. "You… meant a lot to her."

"Thanks," Claus said, turning away. _I shouldn't have let her go!_

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Claus replied with a sigh. "I just feel so powerless."

"You know that her death wasn't your fault," Lucas insisted.

"She predicted her death!" Claus shouted in anguish, "And I let her go! I was too weak to save her. Will you be next, Lucas? Kumatora predicted your death too. Will I be unable to save you?"

"If you give up now, you definitely will be," Lucas asserted with a hardness that surprised Claus.

"I… suppose that you're right," Claus conceded. "You've changed so much, Lucas. Just a month ago, you couldn't talk to strangers, and now…" _Now Lucas is telling me to be strong. _

"I think that we are both better off now that I finally was pushed out of my comfort zone," Lucas mused. "This way, you don't have to worry about protecting me as much and I don't have to worry about being protected as much. I just… needed to grow up a bit on my own."

Claus nodded, although he did feel a little sad. He enjoyed protecting Lucas.

"It was great to see you, brother," Lucas said with a shy smile. "I don't even know if any of this is real, but… I'm glad that we had this chance to talk." Lucas faded away, returning to the real world.

Claus' heart felt so _heavy_. _Kumatora's dead… will Lucas be next? _Despite Lucas' words, he couldn't rid himself of that suspicion. The sky turned black around him. Claus _willed _himself to wake.

(ILH)

Ness rolled the deadly pill between his fingers, unable to fall asleep in the dark of the night. It would be so easy… just to fade away. That would be nice. He wouldn't have to worry about how his actions would hurt anyone else or whether or not he would even be the same person the next day. _I made a promise to Jeff, _he reminded himself sternly. He promised that he wouldn't kill himself unless he had to. But still…

_Oh, Ninten, how I wish that you were here with me now. You would know what to do. _Ninten… what would he want Ness to do?

_Nobody should regard death as their friend. _Ness heard those words from Lucas, who had been talking about Kumatora. Kumatora… Ness had always secretly chided her emotional outbursts. He remembered when she shoved Claus and Lucas just because she was in a bad mood. That wasn't right, but… wait! Ness had been acting in a similar way! He pressured his friend into giving him suicide pills and got angry when he didn't get his way. Ness had been acting _just like the person that he disapproved of. _

_How did it come to this? _Ness thought. _Am I the new Kumatora? Will I burn out just like her?_

_Nobody should regard death as a friend. _Maybe… Lucas' words carried more wisdom than Ness had originally thought. He thought about what Lucas must have felt while sending that message… from Lucas' point of view, life was basically good with a few bad parts. Life was good in the past, sucked now, but could easily be turned around later. Kumatora and Ness were just kids. They had decades upon decades to rediscover happiness.

Ness sat straight up in his bed. _Why the HELL am I contemplating suicide? I have so much time left that I don't want to give up. If life continues to suck for 60 more years then maybe I'll have this conversation with myself again, but until then I have everything to gain by living. I can't throw this chance away. _

It all made sense to Ness now. That was how Lucas could accept the pain instead of burying it like Ness. That was how Ninten could be so cheery in a sinister prison. They looked to the future and saw that life could be turned around with the snap of a finger, and they just need to wait until they could make it happen. Ness sighed in relief, letting his worries float away. He finally understood.

Life was beautiful.

Ness looked back through his memories, reading them like pages in the book of his life, cherishing each one. He wouldn't let death take them this early in life!

Ness put the suicide pill back into the bottle and slipped it back into his pocket. He closed his eyes and soon began snoring peacefully.


	12. Chapter 12: Blue

**Happy 2nd week of AP Testing! :D **

**So, believe it or not, I can actually crank out the rough drafts of these things pretty quickly. So quickly in fact... that I have rough drafts for the entire story. I just finished writing the last chapter yesterday, and it felt ****_awesome. _****I'm really excited to share it all! But... I still think that I'm going to keep to my pace of one chapter for every three or four days. I need to give my writing time to adapt, after all! :)**

**Anyways, the good news about me finishing my rough drafts is that I'll definitely be able to post these chapters unless something happens to me/my work. The bad news is that I won't be able to accommodate as many reader requests (I'll still try to, though!). **

**Now, onto this chapter. I wrote this awhile ago and was surprised to find how light it is, especially because the topics that I discuss are anything but light. Seriously, this is probably the silliest chapter in the entire story. I guess it just felt in character to write like this... because as you can probably tell by now, my writing usually isn't funny or light! xD**

**Review Responses:**

**SuperMarioFan5000: Hey, thanks for your review! I enjoy reading all of the reviews that I get, but this one was especially awesome. Thanks for the encouragement! :) **

**Heh, I'm glad that you found the merged Magicant to be interesting. I really like expanding on the mechanics of the worlds that are the subject of my stories (because honestly, if I'm not expanding something, I shouldn't be writing fanfics in the first place!). I actually really liked how the psionic stall technique turned out when combined with the way of neutralizing PSI users by restraining their hands. It gives me an excuse for dramatic, drawn out scenes where someone is dies or almost dies. xD**

**Well, we'll see if you're right about Hinawa's acquaintance. ;) **

**I'm happy that Ness didn't throw away his life too! This may be weird, but I kind of regard my characters as real people, so I sometimes get uplifted when my characters get uplifted. xD It just feels so real! For the record, I don't think that I'll have anyone else throw their life away in despair.**

**A Fan:**** You're totally right about Magicant being important! I have some plans for that place that I think that you'll enjoy! :) **

**I'm honestly glad that I was able to end my last chapter off on a lighter note as well. I stand by my decision to add darker elements to this story, but too much darkness and not enough light is no fun. :( There are definitely going to be a few more dark moments, but I think that I'm going to try not to linger in the murky waters of depression and anguish for as long! **

**And hey, thanks for trusting me to reveal everything in a satisfactory way! It really means a lot to me. :) **

* * *

_Having a purpose is paramount. This may seem obvious, but for someone like me who was and still is so far gone, common knowledge may easily be obscured like how a heavy, oppressive fog can obscure normal sight._

_I need to find a reason to live._

* * *

"Where are we?" Claus asked with a yawn. "And what are we doing here?"

"You have been awake for an hour and now you ask?" Poo replied in mild surprise.

It had been three days since Claus had arrived in Twoson. Claus was stuck with Poo for the entire day, which was just _wonderful. _Having to deal with that kid's air of superiority and inability to relax would be a challenge for Claus. _Don't lie, you see yourself in him, _a part of Claus' mind said. Claus did his best to shut out that message.

"I'm not a morning person," Claus said, stretching his arms to the clear, blue sky. "I'm still half asleep, honestly."

"We are in a place called Happy Happy village…" Poo explained.

"I'm just imagining smiley faces stuck to everything," Claus interrupted, casually folding his arms across his chest while a gentle breeze ruffled his hair.

"You can look at the town in front of you to see what it _actually _looks like," Poo chided, a stern expression on his face.

Claus followed instructions like a good little kid and saw that everything looked… blue. Everything was painted blue, the signs, the houses, even the cow that Claus spotted. Creepy. He was almost surprised that the grass wasn't blue.

"…And we are here to rescue someone," Poo finished. "I told you that I would introduce you to an ally."

"I thought that you meant Lloid."

Poo snorted in derision.

"That sniveling kid can't even face a pigmask without wetting his pants. The ally that I speak of will actually help us."

Claus clenched his knuckles in anger. Poo was so pretentious… it was no wonder Lloid seemed to be scared of everything. Claus might act like that if he got stuck with Poo. _No, it's not that you would, _a part of his mind buzzed. _It's that Lucas would act like that when faced with Poo. You see yourself in Poo and Lucas in Lloid. That's why their relationship disturbs you so. _Claus forcefully shut his mind up.

"So, who is this… ally?" Claus asked casually, trying not to seem _too _hostile to Poo.

"Her name is Paula-"

"We're doing the 'save the girl' thing? Hasn't that already been done to death?" Claus cut in. Poo looked _really _annoyed now.

"You talk too much," Poo said. "Where I'm from, we learned basic manners such as _not cutting people off while they're talking._"

"Eh," Claus said, letting a smug grin appear on his face. "Manners are overrated… oh look, someone's walking up to us."

Poo turned to greet the woman that approached them with those unnecessary "basic manners" of his.

"Are you here to join our happy religion?" The woman asked seriously, although Claus had to check multiple times to see if she was joking. Who asks someone that as the first thing that they say?

"No…" Poo said, narrowing his eyes and furrowing his brow in suspicion.

"Happy religion?" Claus asked.

"Embrace happiness!" She shouted, startling Claus. "Join us and become happy! Our mission is to paint the world blue."

_That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard, _Claus thought.

"Your efforts seem to have succeeded in this town…" Poo noted, looking at all of the blue houses.

"Yes," the woman affirmed, beaming with pleasure. "Pretty much every person living here is part of our wonderful religion. Under the leadership of Mr. Carpainter, we will take the world by storm!"

_Somehow, I don't think that the religion is going to catch on, _Claus thought._ It just seems so… stupid. _

"Where can we meet this… Mr. Carpainter?" Poo asked. The woman laughed in response.

"You? Meet the great Mr. Carpainter? You look so serious, but you really do have a sense of humor, don't you?"

_Nope, _Claus thought.

"I'm serious!" Poo exclaimed with a dangerous look in his eyes. The woman scoffed.

"Such insolence! You deserve to be struck by lightning!"

Claus was tempted to agree but kept his face neutral. Poo fumed with anger, but the woman droned on without noticing:

"Besides, even if you weren't too insignificant to meet Mr. Carpainter, you still wouldn't be able to receive an audience with him. He's busy dealing with a girl that he's going to sacrifice to god. Apparently, she's _special _for some reason."

Poo froze in place. He looked at Claus with wide eyes.

_Yeah, that sounds like it could be Paula, _Claus sent.

"Where is this girl being kept?" Claus asked, trying to appear friendly. "If she's disrupting you religion, it probably wouldn't be wise to keep her out in the open."

The woman laughed heartily, although Claus wasn't quite sure why.

"Yes, you are quite right! We have ensured that she is being held in a secure location, far away from us reasonable people."

_Does she not realize the irony? _Claus asked himself.

"All right," Claus said, feigning relief. "That's good."

Poo walked away from the woman towards the heart of the village, dragging Claus by the arm.

_I'm sick of pretending to be friendly, _Poo explained telepathically.

_You weren't even pretending to be friendly! _Claus responded. _I was the one doing all of the heavy lifting._

_Quiet. _Poo closed his eyes for a few seconds and seemed to concentrate intently on something.

_Hmm… she's not in the ungodly blue heap behind us, _Poo sent. Claus turned around, noticing the giant blue building that had to be the one that Poo was talking about. Well… big in respect to the other buildings. Anything in New Pork would put it to shame.

_How do you know? _Claus asked.

_My PSI Magnet isn't reacting with anything. If I concentrate hard enough, I can sense creatures with PSI abilities. It has enough range that if Paula were in the building, I would pick something up._

_You can do that with PSI Magnet? _Claus asked in surprise. _I had no idea. _

_I can show you later, _Poo offered. _Still, I think that I know where she might be. Our zealous friend back there dropped a couple of hints._

* * *

Claus blinked at the harsh sunlight while emerging from a cave. Poo had led him past the village and through this quiet cave in order to reach this seemingly abandoned place. Grass rose up to Claus' knees, whipping past him whenever he walked. Crows cawed in the distance, but there were no other sounds.

"I think that Paula is in that house," Poo said, pointing to an abandoned hut standing in front of them.

"Why do you think that?" Claus asked.

"I've been here," Poo replied. "That house is an old prison. When the woman mentioned that Paula was out of the way of general public, two locations came to my mind: that big building in Happy Happy village and this shack here."

Claus nodded, accepting the answer. He wasn't going to try to fight Poo unless he had a reason to… ok, maybe that wasn't true, but Claus didn't want to waste time if someone's life could be at stake!

Poo and Claus walked up to the abandoned house and opened the creaky door. Behind the door stood a girl behind bars that must have been Paula. She didn't seem surprised at Claus' and Poo's presence.

"Thanks for coming, Poo," she said. "I was worried that I might have to bust out of here by myself." She turned to look at Claus and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you're not Ness."

_Ness?_

"You know Ness?" Claus asked suspiciously.

"_You _know Ness?" Poo asked Claus incredulously.

"_You_ know Ness?" Paula asked Poo with fake surprise that implied that she was making fun of him. Claus smiled. He could learn to like this girl.

"Yeah," Claus replied hastily to Poo, worried that he would bristle at Paula's mocking comment. "We were held together in New Pork. I can see why you're friends with him."

Poo raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, he doesn't feel emotions just like you, so…"

"I feel emotions," Poo said defensively, as if he wasn't aware that Claus was employing hyperbole. Paula looked at Claus in concern.

"Ness… are you sure that it was him?"

"About your age, black hair, black eyes, baseball cap and yo-yo…" Claus trailed off.

Paula seemed taken aback.

"That is him, but… Ness was never held in his emotions before. What are they doing to him there?" she asked, putting a hand over her heart and looking down at the worn wooden floor.

Claus felt uncomfortable. It hadn't occurred to him that Ness may have only seemed emotionless because it allowed him to survive in the toxic environment of New Pork City.

"We can discuss that later," Poo maintained. "We should get you out of here, Paula."

"Hmm…" Claus examined the rusty iron lock to Paula's cell. "Do you think that this Carpainter person would have a key?"

Paula and Poo looked at Claus like he was stupid.

"What?" Claus asked defensively.

"We don't need a key," Paula stated.

"Huh? How are we going to get you out, then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Poo asked with a sigh, giving off the impression that he was tired of explaining everything to Claus. "We're going to burn the house down."

* * *

Poo and Paula rushed back into the cave where Claus was hiding as psionic flames licked their heels.

"Phew," Paula said.

"Just curious, but why couldn't you do that before we came?" Claus asked.

"Using PK Fire to burn a house is dangerous," Paula explained. "I didn't have any food and I don't know lifeup, so I could easily have killed myself. That's why I said earlier that I was worried that I _would _have to try to bust out by myself."

Claus nodded. Why did everyone else put more thought into this PSI stuff than Claus did? It made him feel stupid. Even Lucas… _How did he pick up those tips on PSI? Telepathy, psionic stall, neutralizing PSI users by restraining their hands, how did he learn all of that? _

"Besides," Paula continued. "I can't teleport like Poo can. We should warp back to Twoson as soon as you two are ready. My parents are probably worried sick by now."

Poo shook his head.

"We still have business here. We need to pull the needle that lies somewhere in the village."

"Wait, _now _you tell me that there's a needle here?" Claus asked in irritation.

"You two really don't tell each other much, huh?" Paula asked.

"Yes," Poo replied. "Claus spends all of his time making worthless little jibes."

_Why, you little… _Claus tried to keep his face neutral, not wanting to give Poo the satisfaction of seeing him angry.

"I have a question," Claus said to Paula, trying to change the subject. "Why did you expect Ness to be here instead of me?"

"My PSI Magnet aura detected two PSI users. When I saw Poo, I instantly thought that you were Ness."

"Paula's grasp on that PSI Magnet technique that I showed you earlier is stronger than mine," Poo explained. "She doesn't even have to concentrate to sense PSI users. She just has an 'aura' around her that lets her detect PSI users in a relatively small radius."

"Impressive," Claus commended. How much time must she have put in to master such a technique?

"I have a question as well," Paula spoke up. "How and why are we pulling these needles? I know the legends, but…"

"Someone else started pulling the needles," Claus explained, his heart growing heavy at the thought. That person wasn't Lucas… right? He had to trust Lloid on this one. "We're trying to pull four of the seven before that person does."

"But how…" Paula asked, her voice riddled with confusion.

"Claus here can use PK Love," Poo revealed.

"Oh!" Paula exclaimed, eyes widening in shock. "I didn't know. That ability…"

"It's a curse," Claus said, turning away. "All that it can do is destroy."

Paula nodded in understanding.

"It is a curse that will allow us to save the world, though," she told Claus. "As much pain as it may cause you and others… it will be our salvation. If you know PK Love, you should take this," she finished, pulling out a badge and giving it to Claus.

"What is this?" He asked.

"It's called the Franklin Badge," Paula replied. "It will protect you from electrical attacks. It will be useful if Carpainter tries to strike you with lightning."

"I can't take this!" Claus exclaimed, trying to shove it back into Paula's hands. "You keep it."

"Don't be stupid," Poo said harshly. "You know PK Love. We need you conscious and alive to pull the needle."

"As hard as it may be to accept, Poo is right," Paula told Claus. "You use offensive PSI like I do, right? That means that Poo can join up with either of us to form a balanced team. And since the mission is over if you go down, your health is far more important than mine."

Claus resisted the urge to push back against Paula's arguments.

"I… guess that you're right," Claus admitted. "I just hate being the one that gets coddled!"

Paula laughed.

"Most people don't like being coddled, Claus. Especially you boys with your masculine pride."

"Hmph," Claus muttered, knowing that Paula was probably right but not wanting to admit it.

"Something's happening in the town," Poo noted. "And as _fascinating _as your conversation may be, you may want to look at this."

Claus snorted and walked over to the entrance to Happy Happy village from the cave, Paula following behind him. In the center of town, a man with blue hair (ew!) wearing a blue suit was orating something to a group of people dressed in blue, masks obscuring their faces. They all held blue paintbrushes in their hands. The man's words were lined with zeal and his fiery eyes made him seem insane.

"What's that person doing?" Claus asked.

"He's preaching," Paula said confidently, noting the man's actions with disapproval. "I've seen pastors that talk like that before. Most of them are unpleasant at best."

"That must be Carpainter," Poo declared. Paula nodded.

"I've heard that name thrown around before," she said, cocking her head in thought. "The people here seem to worship him. I think that they'll do pretty much anything that he tells them to."

"Duly noted," Poo said in a low tone that caused Claus and Paula to look back outside of the cave.

The people in blue were charging the three PSI kids with their paintbrushes.

"Damn," Claus swore. "They must have seen the smoke from the fire and are going to investigate it. But to send so many… talk about overkill!"

"Feel free to talk about overkill later," Poo stated coldly, staring intently at the people charging them.

_Gah, it's just an expression! _Claus thought.

"I guess this is what it comes to," Poo announced, standing up tall and raising his arms. "PK Star-"

"NO!" Claus shouted. "Don't use that ability!"

"You are squeamish at the sight of corpses?" Poo asked condescendingly.

"We shouldn't kill them!" Claus argued desperately, his voice cracking.

"It's us against them," Poo argued. "They wouldn't hesitate to kill us."

"I won't descend to their level!" Claus cried, his voice losing strength.

"You are innocent," Poo said sadly. "You just don't understand."

"I understand that you are no different than they are," Claus snarled.

Poo's face grew deadly serious. A pang of fear caused Claus to take a step back.

"What did you say?" Poo asked, scarily calm.

"Poo," Paula spoke up. "Those people probably think that they're doing the right thing just like we do."

"We're _actually _doing the right thing," Poo said, waving his hand in dismissal.

"That's exactly what _they _would say, Poo," Paula exclaimed, barely managing to keep calm. "At what point do you draw the line? If you allow yourself to kill an entire village casually, what comes next? Will you commit genocide? Will you save the world only to leave nobody left to live on it?"

Poo said nothing.

"Think of what Ness would do," Paula whispered desperately. By this point, the people in blue had almost arrived at the cave.

_Phew, _Claus sent to Paula. _Thanks._

_You're welcome, _she replied. _If it makes you feel any better, Poo probably wouldn't have actually hurt you. You're too useful. _

That did make Claus feel _a little _better.

"Fine," Poo conceded harshly. "We won't kill them. So what's our plan now? Do we even have one?"

"Of course we have a plan," Claus lied confidently. "Just trust me."

_I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, _he thought as he turned to face the oncoming horde of blue fanatics.


	13. Chapter 13: Undeath

**Happy end to AP Testing! :D I just realized that I screwed up really badly on the microeconomics test. . Hopefully, I can still pull a 5... I'll be the laughingstock of my nerdy friends if I don't!**

**This one is, again, mostly Claus focused. The next one will be too. I was planning on having equal text devoted to Claus and Lucas' groups, but where Claus is at is just so much more _interesting _than where Lucas is! ;) I wasn't planning on having a Paula POV either, but... it just kind of happened. xD I'm glad that it did, though; Paula is awesome! :D**

**Also, there's a really bad cliffhanger at the end. This will be the last one for a while, though! **

**Review Responses:**

**A Fan: Hey, you don't need to apologize for writing long reviews! I LOVE reading what people have to say, and the longer the review is, the better for me. :) **

**I'm not planning on focusing on the masked man and possible accomplices anytime soon. D: I will be focusing on Ness and Jeff as a third party, though. I am planning on having Lucas' and Claus' groups meet eventually... in a way. :) **

**Hey, it's nice to see that you're paying attention to Lucas' special knowledge/powers! I don't want to say anything specific, but they will play a major role in chapters to come.**

**Guest:**** To be perfectly honest, I didn't connect the Earthbound style of diving into a fight with Claus' actions. It's so cool to see people make connections like that! :) That's what I love about writing; I can let my characters run free and weave a story that can be viewed at multiple angles!**

* * *

_Existing is not enough; my solitude has taught me that. I need to feel emotion flow through my veins; I need to have something to desperately cling onto when all else is thrown in the abyss below._

_Because that is what it truly means to be alive._

* * *

"If this is your idea of a plan, I am afraid of what would happen if you improvised!" Paula shouted playfully as they rushed into the blue horde.

Claus scowled at her, causing Paula to laugh. _Man, it feels so good to be with people again, _she thought. Those days in captivity had taken their toll, although Paula did her best to hide that fact.

Claus dashed forward through the grass and approached Carpainter, who closed his eyes and feverishly whispered something to the sky. A bolt of lightning fell from the blue sky with a rumble, bouncing off of Claus due to the Franklin Badge and slamming into Carpainter. Not getting the message, Carpainter continued to call down lightning from the sky, each bolt redirected back at him.

Poo sprang into action, launching himself at Carpainter with a flurry of punches and kicks too fast to track with the human eye. Paula repeatedly used PK Freeze to inflict some more damage. After a few seconds, it was clear that Carpainter was not going to buckle easily.

_Damn it! _Paula received from Claus. _I was hoping that he would go down quickly. _

_I think we all hoped that, _Paula sent back. So hungry… Paula hadn't eaten in days and using PSI took out a lot of her energy. The harsh sun above drained her strength mercilessly and replaced it with sweat.

The fanatics in the blue outfits attacked Paula with their paintbrushes. She tried to run past them, but there were _so many. _

_Nghhh, _Paula thought weakly. _I don't have any of my defensive gear on. At this rate, I'll drop quickly. _Paula wanted to laugh. She was going to be beaten my people wielding _paintbrushes? _Just how weak had she become?

"You filthy rats!" Carpainter shouted in disgust. "You are getting far better than you deserve! Opposing our wonderful religion… you won't be spared!"

In truth, none of the PSI kids had done anything to oppose their religion, unless freeing Paula counted. _How can someone fall so far? _Paula wondered. _What must be going through his head? Does he honestly think that we deserve to die? _

Paula's survival instincts started to kick in as more paintbrushes bombarded her. Normally, she would have preferred to run, but that was not an option with all of the bodies surrounding her.

"PK Fire Beta!" Paula shouted, a voice in her head screaming in horror at what she was doing.

Fire erupted from the earth, searing the people dressed in blue. She used a fairly weak version of the attack; most of them would probably live. Still, the ones that didn't… But she didn't have time to worry about that! After using PK Fire, Paula's hunger and weakness increased tenfold. She tried to take a step forward and fell to the ground, not having enough energy to break the fall with her hands.

_Please forgive me,_ she sent weakly as the world around her went black.

* * *

"My legs are on fire," Ana complained, sitting down on the dirt road surrounded by an army of trees. "We've been walking for eight hours a day for two days straight. I'm not sure that I can last another day."

"I'm getting tired too," Duster added while eating a wheel of cheese, "But we have to keep going. You know the urgency of our mission."

Ana sighed.

"I suppose there's no other option, huh?"

"Not unless you want to use the flying machine again," Lucas answered.

Ana's face turned sour.

"That thing turns my brain into a leaky battery."

Lucas had no problems so far with fatigue, and he didn't understand why. _Hmm… I remember that I never felt tired after all of our fights against the chimeras either. I didn't even get tired from fighting Ness! There's something going on with my body. _Noting Ana's sour face, Lucas felt that now was not the best time to bring that up.

"Look," Lucas pointed out. "There's a house up ahead."

It was true. Past the lush foliage of the forest where Lucas and the others had been walking, not one but two houses stood, vigilant against the army of trees surrounding them. One of them had smoke coming out of its chimney.

"Thank goodness!" Ana exclaimed with a sigh of relief. "I think that I can put in a few more minutes if we can stay there. I hope that the people will let us rest there…"

"What if I scout ahead?" Lucas offered. "That way, you two can relax here for a little longer."

"I won't object," Anna replied hastily.

"You must have legs of steel, Lucas," Duster said with a casual smirk. "But please, do go ahead."

Lucas nodded and took off into a light jog. After what seemed like only seconds, Lucas reached the house. He knocked on the door, his heart filled with trepidation. What if nobody answered? What if they wouldn't let Lucas and his friends stay? What if-

The door opened, revealing a woman that appeared to be in her mid-thirties. Her blond hair and red dress stood out to Lucas, although more unusual was the fact that she was carrying a frying pan in her hand. Behind her stood a girl that looked like a younger version of the woman. _They must be mother and daughter, _Lucas noted. He also noticed a large, white dog sleeping on the floor, bringing back memories of his dog Boney.

"We don't get visitors often in Onett," the woman said suspiciously.

"Onett?" Lucas asked, his limited hope overshadowed by weariness. "We're in Onett?"

"Yes you are," The woman replied, her body tensed out of suspicion.

"We're in Onett!" Lucas exclaimed.

_It's about time! _he thought.

* * *

Claus didn't have to be a detective to tell that Paula's fall enraged Poo. The kid flew into action, zipping around and landing devastating blows on Carpainter's weak spots. Claus wanted to go and help Paula, but he recognized that the best chance that they had to save her was to capture the zealot leader.

Reluctantly, Claus went in for the flank, trapping Carpainter between Poo and himself. The fanatics in blue tried to pull Claus away from Carpainter, but he barely noticed them. He lost track of time. Only the beat of the battle mattered.

Before long, Poo and Claus (but mostly Poo) did enough damage to force Carpainter to his knees. The blue fanatics froze in place, surprised that their immortal leader _could possibly have faltered. _

"Well, then!" Carpainter bellowed dramatically. "Kill me, villains! Our religion will live on forever!"

Cheers came from the people dressed in blue, but none of them made a move.

_We can't kill him, _Claus sent. _If we do, these cultists will just charge us again. _

_We could if we wanted to, _Poo sent back. _I could then use PK Starstorm…_

_NO, _Claus sent with a telepathic voice of stone. _We aren't going to kill all of the people in this town!_

"Won't you listen to reason?" Claus begged Carpainter. "Can't you just let us do what we want? We weren't the ones that attacked you."

"Villains!" Carpainter exclaimed, his face flushed with rage. "You are enemies to god! You are evil!"

"Please!" Claus begged, wanting _so badly _for his words to get through.

Carpainter snarled.

"Go back to hell, devil spawn!"

_He's too far gone, _Poo sent. _You can't get through to him. _

With a start, Claus realized that Carpainter was acting exactly like Ninten.

_Do you think that Carpainter could be brainwashed? _Claus asked Poo.

_By his own mind, yes. He blocks out what he doesn't want to think about. That's what brainwashing basically is._

Claus looked into Poo's sad, pained eyes. He had assumed that Poo was similar to these cultists, blocking out moral responsibility in the name of some "greater good." But now he realized that there was a difference between Poo and these human-like constructs. The fanatics, just like Poo said, refused to think about what they didn't want to.

Poo thought about what was unpleasant but had decided long ago how to react. His reactions were due to precise planning rather than spontaneity.

_When you wanted to kill these people, you knew, didn't you? _Claus accused. _You knew that they couldn't be reasoned with, that they were no different from the chimeras that Porky creates!_

Poo nodded.

Claus felt tears coming to his eyes, although he didn't know why.

_I'm sorry, _Poo sent. Claus was shocked. _Poo _of all people was apologizing. _But I had to get you to see for yourself. These people are no longer human. They are mere beasts, following their own lusts without being able to think about what consequences their actions cause._

Claus gritted his teeth.

_I still don't want to kill them, _Claus sent. _There has to be some humanity left in them somewhere! Can you… knock them out? _

_I suppose._

"PK Starstorm alpha!" Poo shouted and grabbed Claus, pulling him out of the way of the falling stars.

The stars ravaged the earth, causing explosions with their primal power. Claus watched the destruction with tears blurring his vision; something about the way that Carpainter and the cultists acted was just so _sad._ The cultists didn't even try to move out of the way. Maybe they saw it as a message from their god?

Claus vaguely noticed Poo bringing Paula back to consciousness. Was there really no option besides killing? Would Claus eventually have to condemn all of these brainwashed fanatics to die? It made him feel nauseous.

_Please tell me there's another way, _Claus begged to nobody in particular._ Please, please, please._

* * *

Ness was on top of the world.

_Hell yeah! I am totally rocking it today! … And not just PK Rockin it, either!_

Ness strode up to one of the interchangeable metallic rooms and slid open the steel door, revealing Jeff standing inside, tinkering with some sort of device that Ness didn't pretend to understand. This was the room that Ness and Jeff usually used to meet due to the lack of security cameras.

"Heya," Ness greeted. "How's it going?"

Jeff raised an eyebrow.

"You seem rather chipper," he noted.

"Well, I discovered the secret to happiness! You just have to be optimistic!"

"Considering how hundreds of people have said that, I don't think that you 'discovered it,' as you put it."

Ness shrugged.

"Eh, whatever. What matters is that I finally decided to stop moping and think about how cool life is. That's what Ninten would have wanted."

"How self-aware," Jeff noted with a sense of approval that Ness didn't think was wholly serious.

"I know, right! It's like I've been returned to conciousNess!"

Jeff blinked, pausing from his technical work.

"That was horrible," he said. "Was that even supposed to be funny?"

"Hey, there are worse puns that can be created with my name," Ness responded defensively. "When I was in grade school, I used to like wearing black shirts. Whenever I did, people called me darkNess."

"Just because it's better than terrible doesn't mean that it's good," Jeff said.

"Aw come on," Ness let out in exasperation. "Can't you lighten up? I mean, we go back a long way. Maybe we should talk about the good old times like all of the geezers do."

"Lightening up doesn't change the facts," Jeff replied. Was that sadness in his voice?

"Has something happened?" Ness asked, trying to be as empathetic as possible. Man, it felt good not being stuck worrying about his own problems for once.

"I… blew up Ninten's corpse," Jeff admitted.

"Why?" Ness asked, more confused than angry.

"…You're not mad?" Jeff asked.

"What's the point? I haven't even let you explain yourself."

Jeff seemed surprised that Ness was being so reasonable. _Gee, was I that bad earlier that he's scared of me getting mad? _Ness thought. _I guess that I could get a bit touchy…_

"Listen, Jeff," Ness cut in, interrupting Jeff's thought. "I'm sorry about how I've acted for the past few months. I… shouldn't have treated you like that."

Jeff smiled.

"I can't really blame you," He replied, finally letting a twinge of happiness into his voice. "After all, you had so much to deal with…"

"That doesn't excuse my actions, but I'm glad that you are forgiving me because of my circumstances," Ness said warmly. Jeff's smile grew.

"You sounded _exactly _like Claus right there," Jeff said. Noticing Ness' sour reaction, he continued: "That wasn't an insult, Ness. Claus is a wonderful person too. He was just… going through some of the same problems that you were."

"I suppose," Ness conceded. "Anyways, why did you blow up Ninten's body? Was it an accident?"

"No."

"Then… why?"

Jeff looked at Ness, his deadpan face sending a chill down Ness' spine.

"I've unearthed another one of New Pork's dark secrets."

* * *

"We've searched every inch of this place," Poo started, "And we found nothing. There _is _a needle here, however. I think that I know where it is."

Paula had recovered and was now scarfing down a hamburger with a voracity that looked out of place. Why hadn't she bothered to tell Claus that she hadn't been fed in days _before _the fight started? Claus turned his attention to Poo.

"Where?" Claus asked, anticipation causing butterflies to appear in his stomach.

"There's a cave back there," Poo replied. "It's not the one that we went through to reach Paula. The needle has to be there."

Claus nodded and started walking towards the cave.

"You make sure that Paula's okay, all right?" Claus checked with Poo, who nodded to accept the request. Paula sighed.

"I don't need to be protected while I have a picnic, Claus," Paula said wryly.

_I'm scared that some of the cultists will wake up, _Claus thought.

Claus entered the cave, leaving his allies behind. The cave seemed normal enough, with an appropriate number of stalagmites and stalactites (Claus could never remember which one was which) and a few ambient noises that made him feel uneasy. He tried to relax as he trekked through the cave. After what seemed like hours of being alone in the dark, he found an exit, sunlight pouring though like the hope that poured into Claus' heart. Had he found the needle?

Claus exited the cave and found himself in a small area with the mountainous caves surrounding him at all sides. Small animal footprints were engraved in the dirt ground, but grass and trees were the only signs of other life. A small pole with a dragon's head on it stood impaled in the ground, radiating a heavenly light. That must be the needle! Claus took a step forward.

That was when he saw that he was not alone. Someone stood in front of the needle, a jetpack on their back. The person carried a menacing axe in their right hand, while their entire left arm was robotic. The person turned around and Claus let out a gasp. They wore a giant steel collar and the upper right part of their face was replaced by metal plating, a malicious red eye in place of a real one. But that wasn't why Claus gasped.

He gasped because the cyborg standing in front of him was someone who should have been dead.

"Kumatora!" Claus shouted in recognition, not knowing what to feel.

"You… know my name?" The mechanized human rasped.

_Oh, Kumatora, what did they do to you? _Claus wondered, feeling his heart sink down into his stomach. _Her voice sounds so pained…_

"I suppose that it does not matter," the person that once was Kumatora continued. "You know PSI and are not the chosen one. That means… that it is my job to kill you."

Claus would have screamed if he hadn't been frozen in terror.


	14. Chapter 14: Child of Life

**So, I decided to upload a new chapter because: **

**1\. I'm bored**

** 2\. I didn't want you guys to wait for long because of the cliffhanger**

**These combat scenes are always the hardest for me to write. If you haven't noticed by now, I try to pack as much emotion into the fights that I write as possible. :) This fight is no different.**

**Anyways, this one is really long (looking at the rest of the rough drafts, this one is the 3rd longest behind my last two chapters xD). Hopefully I won't put anyone to sleep! ...That's probably a bad thing to say, isn't it? xD**

**In this chapter, I feel that the characters of Ana and Paula begin to surface (Ana more subtly than Paula, though). They ended up being my favorite characters by the end of this story, so I hope that you enjoy the text that I devote to them! To be honest, I feel much more comfortable when I write about female characters, although maybe I'm completely screwing them up and I just can't tell. xD**

**Also, I wanted to update my author's note to make sure there are no misunderstandings. In this chapter, Paula talks quite a bit about religion (religious extremism in particular), so I wanted to make a couple of things ABSOLUTELY clear:**

**1\. I am NOT anti-religion**

**2\. Paula is quite devout herself and religion is a huge part of who she is. That's why she's so sensitive about religious extremism.**

**I think that both of these are implied in the chapter, but I know that religion is a touchy subject and wanted to make things crystal clear. :)**

**Review Responses:**

**SMF:**** Hey, it's always great to read your reviews! :) Er... Kumatora has been revived as a cyborg. Sorry. D: Remember, we don't know yet if Kumatora can actually pull the needles (the needle is still in the ground, after all!). :) As for Ninten, his corpse was blown up, so he won't likely come back as a cyborg, but Fassad and Isaac are possibilities. Yes that was Tracy and Ness' mother in Onett. :)**

**I feel bad for Carpainter and the cultists as well. D: The fact that they are able to shut out reason from their mind terrifies me, and I express that in this chapter (and others!). When a person closes their mind, it tends to hurt everyone around them. :( Just look at the Westboro Baptist Church! They were my basis for the cultists (well, them and the cultists in Earthbound).**

**Guest:** **It's great to see that you're thinking a lot about this! :) **

**The masked man and Kumatora do have differences. Kumatora is an outright cyborg that has metallic parts to replace her destroyed real body parts. The masked man is wearing the mask and jetpack, but isn't a cyborg so far as we know (Although, who knows for sure when the pigmasks are part of the equation? .).**

**I won't say much about your thinking about the initial waking and aftereffects, but I can say that you are pretty close where Lucas is concerned. Honestly, if you were any closer, I would be stupefied. :)**

**A Fan:**** Hey, thanks for the catch! :D I replaced the second "Claus" with "himself" to make it sound less repetitive. If you find anything else like that, feel more than welcome to tell me! :)**

**Sorry to disappoint, but I do not plan on adding any of the Minches to my story. D: There are already so many characters that I had to resolve (and even that was a struggle xD) that I decided that I shouldn't add in many more supporting characters. Sorry! :(**

**Yeah, Kumatora and the masked man do have some similarities, but they also have some key differences. ****Kumatora is an outright cyborg, and the masked man shows no signs of being one (at least not yet!). Also, Kumatora is much more aware of herself, shown by her capability of speech. Still, anyone that gets caught up in New Pork bears scars of some sort (There's going to be some info on Ana's past in New Pork later and it is heartbreaking D:), so Kuma and the masked man can revel in their shared scars... I guess? xD Sorry if I'm sounding kind of creepy. :x**

**Heh, the thing about self-contained chapters does make sense, and this is one of them! The next big cliffhanger is in ch. 19, and I'm considering releasing it with ch. 20 at the same time because the former chapter doesn't really have all that much plot content (you know how I can drone on about philosophical issues xD) Phew, this was really long, huh? Sorry! ;)**

* * *

_Zeal is a foul mimic of emotion._

_That is why Porky may prefer brainwashed humans to robots. Zeal carries all of the weight and determination of emotion but has none of the checks that emotions have from throwing us into the path of a bestial killer. Zeal allows a person to close their mind to everything and focus only on the task at hand, making them not so different from a robot._

_A world ruled by zealots scares me more than anything._

* * *

"You blew up Ninten's body to keep them from reviving him?" Ness asked in disbelief. "The pigmasks can do such a thing?"

"Evidently," Jeff replied darkly. "Kumatora is alive with some… robotic upgrades. And as you can probably guess, she is completely brainwashed."

"Oh man, that's _terrifying._"

"Yup. There's more, too."

_How can there possibly be more? _Ness felt his heart pound in his chest.

"The pigmasks are going after the needles. They already pulled the needle in Fourside."

_Crap! Just when I thought that our situation couldn't get any worse… _Ness' thoughts trailed off. The metallic room seemed to turn darker.

"But, how?" Ness asked. "They need someone with PK… No! Lucas! Lucas can use PK Love! Did they brainwash him?"

"There are no records of it," Jeff responded hopefully, "But… someone popped up recently. He is called the masked man, at least by the computer records. I can't pull up any more info on him."

_The masked man, huh? Sounds… mysterious._

"Have you made any more progress in locating the final needle?" Ness inquired. Earlier, Jeff had found a document that detailed locations of six out of the seven needles, but the last one continued to elude him.

Jeff shook his head in frustration.

"I'm not sure that the pigmasks even know. I've hacked onto the vast majority of their files. Either they have the hidden somewhere especially secure or they really don't know where it is."

"Well, the dragon isn't going to wake unless all of the needles are pulled, so maybe they won't be able to end the world…?" Ness offered hopefully.

"Maybe," Jeff replied, "But I wouldn't bet on it."

_Geez, I was trying to be optimistic… _Ness thought. Jeff was probably right, though. Ness doubted that the pigmasks would embark on a quest to end the world if they did not have the full means to do so.

_The world could be at risk. Again. _

That thought terrified Ness more than he would ever admit.

* * *

After what felt like minutes but must have been less than a second, Claus regained control of his body. Feeling terror unrivaled by anything else in his short life, Claus turned around and broke into a sprint, heading back into the dark cave. _Kumatora doesn't have PK love, or else she would have pulled the needle by now, _Claus thought. His first priority was to escape. Claus heard the roar of a jetpack behind him, approaching him at impossible speeds.

The sound neared. Claus felt panic that was lost in the darkness of the cave.

The roar sounded right behind Claus, who yelped and ducked out of instinct. Claus felt Kumatora's axe whiz above him, missing him by inches. Kumatora's momentum then caused her to fly past Claus, her jetpack ablaze and her robotic eye squinted into a malicious glare that pierced the lonely darkness.

Claus took off in the other direction back towards the clearing, already panting heavily. Kumatora let out a rasped, painful laugh.

"Where do you think you can go?" She asked. "You cannot escape! You are already dead."

Claus ignored her and reentered the sunlight of the clearing. He had no trouble spotting the needle, which radiated a brilliant light. Without pausing, Claus dashed up to the needle and pulled it out of the ground.

Rainbow colors flashed around Claus, blinding him in their brilliance. Steam rose from the ground, giving Claus what felt like second degree burns. A sudden flash of pain in Claus' chest blinded him further.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Kumatora's axe embedded in his chest and her smug face pressed up to his. Gasping, Claus wrenched himself free and ran further away from Kumatora, soon finding himself face to face with a wall of stone.

_It looks like I can't escape without going back into the cave, _Claus thought grimly. That was a problem; Kumatora blocked his pathway back to the cave opening as surely as a wall of steel would. He pulled out a calorie stick and scarfed it down to heal the wound.

Kumatora released a pained, mocking laugh.

"Using my tactics against me, are you?" Kumatora shouted. "You should know that you don't stand a chance, even with your food to heal you! Why do you insist on trying to live, worm?"

_The Kumatora that I knew would never say that! _Claus told himself. _This is a mere puppet. _

Kumatora's robotic hand was extended out in front her, palm showing. Her palm _morphed, _pieces of metal shifting around like a slide puzzle. In less than a second, a small tube extended from her hand, firing a barrage of missiles at Claus. He managed to dodge most of them, hearing them explode on the rocks behind him. Still, a few missiles did slam into his chest, causing him to flinch in agony.

_I have to stay strong! _Claus thought desperately. _I can't lose now. Not before I have a chance to meet up with Lucas for real! _

"PK Love!" Claus shouted with all of the energy left in his overtaxed body, sending a horde of deadly hexagons in Kumatora's direction.

"Too slow," Kumatora rasped with a malicious grin. "PSI Counter!"

Half of the hexagons that should have hit Kumatora flew right back at Claus, slamming into him. Claus fell to his knees. _Gah! I've never been hit by my own attack before! Okay, Claus, you have to breathe. Just focus on breathing… _Claus gasped for air, knowing that all of the oxygen in the world wouldn't satisfy him. He looked at Kumatora, hoping to see her reeling from the hexagons that did hit her. What he saw, however, only disheartened him.

For Kumatora didn't look hurt in the slightest.

"Pathetic!" Kumatora screamed. "You humans cling to life so desperately but can't actually _do anything at all!_"

_No, _Claus thought, Kumatora's words giving him the determination that he needed. _We cling to life because life is worth living! I will show you that even when I'm next to dead, I still have some fight left in me! _

_My desperation is my greatest strength. _

Claus struggled to his feet and consumed his last calorie stick. _Here goes nothing… _

Kumatora only laughed further.

"You don't know when to give up, do you?" she rasped mockingly, her mouth pursed into an unnatural sneer. "Come on then! Come at me, if you wish to engage in futility!"

Claus obliged.

As Claus ran into range, he swung his stick down with all of the strength that he could possibly muster. He smashed Kumatora in the non-robotic part of face… causing no effect. _Damn it! _If Claus were thinking properly, he would have realized that she was simply using psionic stall to make it look like she hadn't taken any damage, but Claus didn't have enough energy to spare for _thinking_.

In an instant, Kumatora's robot arm flashed out and grabbed Claus' throat, lifting him off of the ground.

"I heard that your brother did this once," Kumatora snarled. "I wanted to see how much _pain_ it would cause!"

Your brother… Kumatora knew who Lucas was, and must therefore have some memory about Claus!

_You're still alive down there, aren't you, Kumatora? _Claus sent, receiving no response.

"Your life is melting away!" Kumatora bellowed. "Are you just going to sit there, struggling? Have you given up?"

"N….o…" Claus managed to get out.

_I have to be strong! _Claus told himself._ My determination to hang onto life gives me strength! I have to believe that…_

_Because if I don't, I'm dead!_

Claus attempted to move his hands to use a PSI ability, but they kept returning to his throat, hopelessly trying to free himself from Kumatora's robotic grasp.

_Please! I have to be strong now! _

Nothing.

_… __Please…_

Nothing.

_Is there anyone out there listening?_

Nothing.

_Am I going to die? _

Nothing.

_No, I can't die now. I AM GOING TO LIVE! _

Using more energy than he could have possibly had, Claus moved his hands and used PK Thunder. Kumatora broke into cruel laughter once more.

"One PSI ability won't save you!" She shouted in glee.

_Just you wait… _Claus' vision was starting to turn black.

"Besides, I still have my PSI counter on, idiot." Kumatora's eyes filled with a fiery zeal.

But Claus wasn't aiming for Kumatora. The PK Thunder dropped from the sky and felled a nearby tree, falling towards Kumatora and Claus.

"Impossible!" Kumatora exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock. "That move can't even be aimed _without _distractions!"

She dropped Claus and raised her robotic arm up to the sky, bracing it with her flesh arm. Kumatora caught the tree on her arm, letting out a feral grunt. She stood there for seconds like a hero from one of the fables, holding up the tree with a face of grit and determination. Finally, she _heaved _the tree to the side.

Claus was sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. His poor lungs burned from the agony. Kumatora walked up to him with an expression of curiosity.

_I'm sorry, Lucas, _Claus thought. _You will have quite a burden, pulling all of these needles. I'm so sorry… that I have to leave you for good. _

"You almost won," Kumatora stated simply. "That tree should have crushed me. If I were only slightly weaker, I would be dead right now."

Claus was too weak to respond.

"This ability of yours to hang onto life… why did it make you stronger?" Kumatora wondered out loud.

_Because… life is beautiful, _Claus somehow managed to send.

Kumatora looked at Claus with an expression of wonder and sadness.

"So innocent…" she whispered. "This world will destroy you, Claus. But… I will not."

She bent down and touched Claus with her human hand, whispering something intently. Claus felt his lungs fill with oxygen, his body now capable of acting. Kumatora had sounded like herself at the end! Maybe she was back! Claus looked at Kumatora and only received a cold stare back.

"Goodbye, child of life," Kumatora rasped and flew away with her jetpack, eventually becoming nothing but a twinkle in the sky.

* * *

"Thank you so much for letting us stay here for a while," Lucas told the woman as sincerely as possible. She favored Lucas with a smile and eyed Duster and Ana.

"No problem," she replied. "But… you may want to stay out of sights. The pigmasks get pushy when you throw something unexpected into their neat little equation."

"Pigmasks?" Duster asked. "Here?"

"Yeah!" The little girl replied enthusiastically. She had said earlier that her name was Tracy. "I wish that my big brother would come back soon."

Ana looked at Tracy suspiciously.

"If pigmasks are here, I don't think that you want him to return. Wouldn't it put him in danger?"

"My brother is tough!" Tracy protested.

"Trust me, kid. Most people aren't_ half_ as tough as they think that they are," Ana said bitterly.

_Did something happen to her? _Lucas wondered.

"I'm serious!" Tracy exclaimed in frustration. "My brother is really tough!"

"Like I said…" Ana started, seeming slightly annoyed.

"He even has this P-S-I thingy," Tracy said proudly.

"What, WHAT?" Lucas let out in surprise. "Your brother can use PSI?"

Ana and Duster looked surprised as well. That was natural. There were so few people in the world who could use PSI…

"You're familiar with PSI?" Tracy's mother questioned.

Lucas nodded.

"There aren't very many people who can use PSI. I might know your brother, Tracy."

Tracy's face lit up.

"All right," she said, twirling around in happiness. "His name is Ness."

_Oh, wow. _

"Do you know him?" Tracy's mother asked, noticing Lucas' surprised reaction.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "We were both stuck working for the pigmasks against our will."

Tracy gasped and her mother stared at Lucas.

"Where is he now?" she asked, her voice lined with a level of concern that nearly broke Lucas' heart.

"He's… still in New Pork City. He said that if he ran away, the pigmasks would… kill you."

Ness' mother's eyes lit up.

"Oh Ness," she whispered longingly. "I had no idea…"

"Well, that must be rough," Ana said darkly. "Feeling trapped and alone is one of the worst experiences someone can have. Ness always seemed tough, though. I think that he'll be all right."

"You know Ness?" Lucas asked.

Ana smiled.

"Yes. I'll never tell him this, but he helped me out quite a bit. He was able to look at the horrors of New Pork and smile. That… was powerful for me. It made me realize that I needed to pull myself together and actually try to do something with my life."

_And… why do you not want to tell him that? _Lucas wanted to ask.

"Wow," Ness' mother responded, her eyes lighting up. "I'm glad that Ness is still helping people. He was always so eager to improve the world…"

_Really? _Lucas thought. _That honestly doesn't sound like Ness at all. _

"Something's still bothering me, though," Ana said, cocking her head in thought, "And it doesn't have to do with Ness."

"What is it, dear?" Ness' mother asked warmly.

"I was wondering why the pigmasks would occupy this town. No offense, but from what I see, there doesn't seem to be much to gain."

Ness' mother fumbled.

"I think that they might be aware of the needle here," Duster offered.

Ness' mother's eyes snapped over to Duster.

"What do you know about these needles? Are you working with the pigmasks?"

"No, of course not!" Lucas instantly replied. "We would never work for Porky!"

"Porky…" Ness' mother's eyes shot wide open. "It can't be…"

"What?" Ana asked.

"You see, there was a kid named Porky who used to live next door," Ness' mother explained. "His family moved out a couple of years ago."

_Wow… I don't think that a kid would be able to build a city like New Pork, _Lucas thought._ But "Porky" can't be a common name. What if Porky was just a kid who has access to some sort of PSI that lets him build and rule a city…? _What a disturbing thought.

"Regardless of whether or not your neighbor really is a dictator, our point remains the same," Lucas asserted, trying not to let his nervousness show. For some reason, he still felt uneasy when talking to people that he didn't know. "Do we look like we would be in the league with the pigmasks?"

"They're right, mom!" Tracy exclaimed. "They're too nice to be pigmasks!"

"If you aren't with the pigmasks, then why are you here?" Ness' mother inquired.

"We have to reach the needle before the pigmasks do," Lucas explained. "It's one of those clichéd end of the world things."

Ness' mother pondered Lucas' words for a few minutes, looking at Lucas sternly. Finally, she spoke: "You don't seem like pigmasks. I… guess I'll trust you. If you head west, you'll reach a cave that leads to a place called 'Giant's Step.' The needle is located there."

Lucas' eyes lit up.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed sincerely. "You're a huge help."

Ness' mother shrugged.

"People should help each other out. I've gotten cynical lately because of the pigmasks, but I can't let you kids just wander around aimlessly. Good luck reaching the needle first."

"Thanks," Ana said with a generous smile that seemed out of place. "I'm glad that there are _some_ good people left in this world…"

_Seriously, what happened to her? _Lucas wondered.

* * *

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" Paula exclaimed, cocking her head in worry. Poo was nowhere in sight.

"I… guess that's true, in a way," Claus replied wearily. Paula waited for Claus to continue. When he didn't, she spoke again:

"A few of the cultists woke up and Poo had to knock them out again. We should probably leave soon."

"Why do they have to act the way that they do, Paula?" Claus wondered out loud.

Paula pondered for a few moments.

"I… think that they just found something that they can use as an excuse in every situation. They can never accept that they are wrong because they believe that god always agrees with them. I guess that my explanation there doesn't even capture the essence of it. The truth is, these people use religion as an excuse as a way to avoid _thinking _about the fact that they could be wrong. Because, of course they can't be wrong when they have god on their side, right? When you add a dash of eagerness to the blatant lack of thinking, you get a person who is willing to do _anything _on whim."

"Wow," Claus responded. He hadn't expected such an elaborate response.

"It's sad," Paula continued. "To grow, we have to admit that we are wrong. These people can never even _think _about that. This means that none of these cultists will ever improve though their religion; they can only go down. That makes me cry a bit inside. Religion is supposed to be supportive and peaceful…"

"You've really thought about this a lot, huh?" Claus asked.

"I've thought about it for my entire life, Claus," Paula said, looking down to the grass and shaking her head sadly. "My family is very religious, you see. For the most part, religion helped us, but… I had a cousin, aunt, and uncle that acted like these cultists. They would never even _think_ about the fact that they could have _possibly_ made a mistake, always using religion as their excuse. From their point of view, they were doing god's will and everyone that didn't agree would go to hell."

"That's terrifying," Claus said softly. "I would think that it would be different with a mainstream religion…"

Paula shook her head, tears coming to her eyes.

"It's harder to fall into extremism when not everyone around you is insane, but once you're there, it's the same. It always made me so sad to watch them slowly descend further into the metaphorical quicksand of extremism. I tried to tell my parents, but they wouldn't listen. They said that the views of my aunt and uncle were just as good as ours. I wanted to save them, Claus. I know that my experiences can't begin to compete with the horrors that you faced in New Pork, but… my they scarred me all the same."

"I know how you feel," Claus reassured. "I've always wanted to save people too. It would drive me _insane _if I couldn't help the people that I wanted to."

_In fact, it almost did, _Claus thought with a shiver. When his mother had died… Claus had been reduced to a complete wreck.

A weak smile lit up on Paula's face.

"Thanks, Claus," she said. "That really means a lot to me. There's one thing that I didn't tell you about that incident, though. My cousin… escaped from the quicksand! He found his way out of extremism! It makes me feel so happy whenever I think about him… and I'll get to see him back in Twoson!"

"You will?" Claus asked. "That's great! It's important to have someone to care about who also cares about you."

_Lucas… where are you? _Claus wondered sadly.

"Of course I will," Paula replied with a vibrant smile. "My cousin is Lloid, after all!"

"Oh!" Claus exclaimed. "I didn't know. Poo never told me."

"Heh, I guess Poo just doesn't like to tell you stuff," Paula said mockingly.

"Yeah… that kid drives me a little bonkers sometimes," Claus admitted. "But back to Lloid… he must be really worried about you, huh?"

Paula nodded.

"Lloid… struggles with adversity. I'm still trying to support him. He bears far more scars from his parents than I do, obviously…"

"His shyness and constant worry about other people's emotions… they came from his experiences!" Claus realized out loud.

"Correct," Paula affirmed. "His parents used religion to break him. They treated him like trash and said 'God loves you,' as an excuse. They wanted him to follow their path exactly, and their inability to admit that they were wrong meant that they wouldn't accept a shred less than they expected from him. Things were never _their _fault, so Lloid always had to take the blame. He learned to become aware of people's emotions to see when he had to avoid his parents and became shy because he didn't want to say anything that would anger them. In the end, his parents got angry at his shyness, even though it was their fault! The worst part is that he didn't realize how scarred he was until after he broke out. If he hadn't escaped…" Paula shivered.

"That's… really sad," Claus said. What must it be like to be treated like garbage by your parents _every day of your life? _

Claus had compared Lucas to Lloid earlier; did that mean that Lucas was the way that he was because of his parents? No… neither of their parents were harsh towards Lucas. With a start, Claus realized that _he _had often been hard on his twin brother. _I felt protective of him and when he didn't meet the standards that I had set for him… _Claus eyes widened in horror.

"Is something wrong?" Paula asked, noticing Claus' inner turmoil.

"I… think that I might have acted like that towards my little brother," Claus whispered, guilt drowning out every other emotion. "Am I no better than Lloid's parents?"

Paula grabbed Claus' shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"You are willing to change," she said. Claus felt her eyes gaze into his heart. "That is the most important part. The day that we stop changing is the day that we stop improving. And who wants to be a worse person than they were before? I'm sure that your brother will understand if you talk to him about it. Heck, I doubt that he's even realized that you may have influenced his personality in that way."

_Focus on improving, huh? That… actually really motivates me._

"Thanks," Claus said, feeling joy take place in wake of guilt. "That really makes me feel better."

"Hey!" Poo called from inside of the cave that led out of Happy Happy village. "I found a place that I think could work!"

"Poo is going to use PK Starstorm to cause a cave in, trapping the cultists from the rest of the world," Paula explained. "That way, they can't do any more harm. We just have to hope that they wake up from their fanatical rampage."

Claus nodded.

"Are we going back to Twoson?" he asked.

"Yeah," Paula replied. "At least, for now. Lloid is working on locating all of the needles. I do know where the next needle that we are planning to pull is, though."

"Where?" Claus asked.

"Onett."


	15. Chapter 15: Child of Death

**Phew! School's almost over. :D**

**I was hoping to release this chapter and the next one at the same time, as they are both relatively explanatory and have bits of fluff that are needed for the later story. Or... it's me just rambling. xD However, I didn't feel that the next chapter is edited enough to post yet. I'm probably going to post it soon.**

**Still no cliffhangers! :)**

**As always, reviews help me out a TON.**

**Review Responses:**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Hey, thanks for the reviews! It's great to know that some people enjoy what I write. I wouldn't be half as motivated to write if I felt that nobody cared... I feel like I said that before in one of my Author's Notes. xD**

**I'm really glad that you like my characters! :) To be honest, I put most of my work into the characters rather than the plot (I have a general plot that I mostly follow, but most of the individual sections are spontaneous and driven by the characters rather than me... if that makes any sense xD). I have more planned for Paula, and much more planned for Ana. I was writing out a lot of Ana parts in the later chapters, and she became my favorite character. I hope that you enjoy what I'm going to do with her. *crosses fingers***

**Also, the passion that went into your reviews really touched me. :)**

**A**** Fan:**** Heh, well I gave this chapter a bit more time, huh? ;)**

**Poo and Paula didn't know that Claus was in danger. Claus was mostly fighting in the Lilliput steps clearing and the very end of the cave, which is a significant distance from where Paula and Poo are. Maybe they would have seen some sign of the needle being pulled, but they wouldn't have noticed anything wrong. I suppose Paula could have noticed Kumatora flying away after the fact... which I had never even considered before. xD I guess I'll just say that she didn't look up. :x**

**Thanks for the religion reminder. I added a disclaimer to my last chapter about that to clear up any misconceptions. I do feel like the issue that I presented deserves to be talked about (oppressive, narcissistic parents), and the reason that I used religion is bec****ause it's a core part of Paula's identity as a human being. Eartbound fans are pretty cool in general, so I'm hoping that nobody will get offended... *crosses fingers***

**Guest:**** I'm glad that you liked it! :)**

**I'm also glad that you appreciated the direction that I took with Paula. One thing that always stood out to me in Earthbound is how Paula is religious, but not always in the traditional sense. Her praying during the fight with Giygas (I'm assuming that if you're reading an Earthbound fanfic, then you've played through the game, so I hope that I'm not spoiling anything!) was more about connecting herself to a positive community than anything else, which made her the perfect candidate to make the speech about the irony of extreme religion as a vehicle of abuse. **

**I also feel bad for Lloid. ;( I know some people that are like him (although religion isn't involved). I would try not to hate his parents too much, though. While their environment doesn't excuse their actions in any way, I think that it does make their actions more understandable/forgivable. If only people like them would realize what they're doing... D: **

**Phew! Let's talk about happier stuff. :) I'm SO glad that you mentioned Ninten; I definitely have have future plans for him... :D**

* * *

_This life has given me hope._

_Hinawa…_

_Your coming was a sweet curse, a curse that I needed to be able to drag myself back onto my weary, twisted path._

_Because in this world that you call Magicant, it is so easy to lose myself._

* * *

_I still don't think that we should be doing this, _Lucas sent to Ana.

_You've said that a dozen times already! _Ana replied in exasperation. _I had no idea that you were such a worrywart. _

Those words hurt Lucas more than they probably should have. Lucas, Ana, and Duster were standing in downtown Onett (all two blocks of it!), searching for a grocery store. Onett's buildings felt modern yet simple, lacking the metallic coldness of New Pork's extravagant architecture. Most of them were built out of brick, which appealed to Lucas more than the seamless steel of the "school" in New Pork. Grassy fields surrounded the roads, which, combined with the lack of pollution, set Lucas at ease.

That is, it would have if the street hadn't been crawling with pigmasks.

_I just don't understand why we have to take this risk, _Lucas sent. _I'm a wanted criminal, you know._

_It'll be fine, _Ana responded in a dismissive tone that reminded Lucas of how Claus would have reacted. _We're just buying food. Nobody is going to give us trouble._

_But… why do we need food right now?_

_Food is essential to the body's health, _Ana sent. _When the body distributes food particles such as sugar and fat to the cells, mitochondria break those molecules down, using the energy from the electrons to create an uneven proton gradient. The protons then reestablish equilibrium by passing through ATP synthase, which harnesses the energy from the proton flow to attach a phosphate group to ADP, forming ATP, which our cells need to function. _

_What…? _Lucas sent.

_That's why we need food! _Ana replied with a telepathic smirk.

_I… don't understand, _Lucas sent.

_Hmm… did you not have biology where you lived?_

_Not THAT kind of biology! _

_Huh. That's a pity; cells are pretty badass. _

Lucas began to wonder, not for the first time, if a small, unsophisticated town like Tazmily really was the best place to live. Lucas loved to learn and felt that he was missing something when Ana spoke about these "cells" and "mitochondria" of hers. Lucas harkened back to his conversation with Jeff. Jeff had revealed that he now possessed the technology needed to cure cholera, which would have saved Hinawa's life. Did technology have other benefits besides saving people? Was discovering knowledge reason enough to embrace progress? Lucas pondered that question as cars whizzed by and nosy pigmasks eyed him.

_This would go more quickly if you would actually help look for a place to get food, _Ana sent.

"There!" Lucas said out loud, pointing to a nearby burger shop in exasperation. "We can get food there! Was that so hard?"

_…__Told you so, _Ana sent with a smirk. Lucas sighed.

As they approached the burger shop, Lucas heard a shout that sent a chill down his spine. He looked in the direction and saw… it couldn't be! But it was.

Lucas saw Fassad flying in the blue sky with a metallic nose, grotesque trumpets extending from each nostril.

"You!" Fassad snarled at Lucas with more rage than Lucas thought was possible. "Pigmasks, capture the blond boy and his companions!" He turned back to Lucas. "We have… something special in store for you."

"You died!" Lucas shouted in disbelief. "I saw you die!"

"And now I am alive once more," Fassad rasped with a cruel smile.

"Oh no!" Duster exclaimed, falling into a defensive pose. "We're surrounded!"

It was true; pigmasks ran towards them from all directions

"There are too many of them!" Ana exclaimed, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Let's get out of here!"

"But we're blocked off…" Lucas trailed off as Ana grabbed his arm. The world started to swirl around him.

* * *

"Paula!" Lloid exclaimed in glee. "You're safe!"

"Yes, I'm safe and sound thanks to Claus and Poo," Paula responded with a smile.

"You never told me that you were Paula's cousin," Claus told Lloid. "Weren't you worried sick about her?"

"Yeah," Lloid said weakly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Claus asked.

"I…"

"It's one of the effects that I was talking about," Paula cut in. "Lloid's been conditioned to feel that he's not allowed to worry about his own problems. He's been taught that his feelings have no value and that expressing them isn't acceptable."

"Wow," Claus said, eyes widening. "That doesn't sound fun at all!" _What would I do if I felt that I didn't deserve to express my own worries? _Claus wondered. _I… honestly don't know. _

Lloid gave a weak shrug.

"So, Onett is our next destination?" Poo asked, clearly not caring about Lloid's emotional issues.

"Do you have to leave so soon, Paula?" Lloid asked, similar to how a young child would ask their mother.

"I'm afraid so," Paula replied, "But don't worry. I'm sure that we'll see each other soon!"

Lloid nodded slowly.

"T-There's something that I have to tell you," he stammered.

"Oh, what is it?" Paula asked gently.

"The needle in Threed was pulled a few days ago. It just got updated in New Pork's files."

"Maybe it's Lucas…?" Claus offered hopefully.

Poo shook his head.

"It doesn't seem likely. Fourside, where the first needle was pulled by the masked man, is quite close to Threed. It makes more sense for our mysterious adversary to have done it."

_Well, gee, way to stay optimistic! _Claus thought.

"Either way," Paula said, "There's nothing that we can do about it."

Poo nodded.

"We should head off to Onett. There is no time to lose."

Claus nodded in reluctant agreement. He wanted to go to Threed and see if Lucas was there, but he couldn't deny Poo's logic, despite the bitter aftertaste that it left in Claus' mouth.

* * *

Lucas appeared back at Ness' house, along with Ana and Duster. The same leafy trees towered above them and Lucas was sure that the house in front of him was the one that Ness' family resided in. _But how are we here? _Lucas wondered.

"What was that?" Duster asked.

"Quickly!" Ana exclaimed. "We have to get to the needle! If we run away now, the pigmasks are going to fortify their defenses. The needle is west of here, right? Let's go!"

"How are we here?" Duster asked again.

Ana rolled her eyes.

"I teleported us here. Now, are you two just going to stand there? Let's move!"

"Why couldn't you teleport us to here from New Pork?" Duster asked.

"You need to be familiar with the place," Ana explained, rapidly losing her patience. "Now for the last time, let's move it!"

Lucas nodded and took off in a sprint, followed by Ana and Duster. After a few seconds, Lucas realized that he was outpacing Ana and Duster by a significant amount. He halted, waiting for them to catch up.

_Go! _Ana shouted telepathically, not wanting to waste oxygen by speaking out loud. _You go ahead! It's important that you reach the needle before the pigmasks find us. After you pull it, I can teleport us out of this place! _

Lucas nodded and took off once more, pushing his body to its limits. Lucas realized that he had never really tested just how much his body could take since he had gained the increased strength and stamina that somehow came with the _feelings _that he received. _It's time to see how this body holds up, _Lucas thought and pushed himself to move faster.

Lucas felt the wind rush by his face as he accelerated. The world passed him like a blur. It was just him and the needle. Nothing else mattered now. Lucas didn't bother to think, he just _ran_. Soon, he began panting heavily, perspiration soaking his shirt. But he couldn't focus on that. He had to keep running…

Because the world could end if he stopped.

After what seemed like only seconds, Lucas crashed through an abandoned house and found himself in a cave. He was going the correct way, right? No, he couldn't doubt himself now. Lucas didn't even bother to take in the features of the dank, otherworldly cave around him. Frantically, he spotted a ladder and scaled it with ease. His lungs burned from exertion. _Use PK Healing! _Something inside of him shouted. Another _feeling. _Lucas didn't trust these _feelings, _but this one couldn't hurt, right?

"P…K… Healing Beta!" Lucas panted.

Suddenly, his lungs were filled once more with sweet oxygen. Without taking the time to feel satisfied, Lucas took off once more. He scaled more ladders and ran around stalagmites that he couldn't even see, desperately hoping to reach the needle as quickly as possible.

Lucas reached the exit. He couldn't have said how much time had passed; he was so fully immersed in his sprinting. Lucas barreled through the exit of the cave, emerging to find himself standing in a sunlit clearing. It looked like a giant had stepped on the soft dirt of the earth, which Lucas figured was the reason for the name "Giant's Step." Lucas kept running forward and only saw the needle once he stood right in front of it.

The needle was made of solid gold and had a dragon's head at the hilt. With a start, Lucas realized that he had seen one of these needles before! He couldn't say from where, but he definitely recognized the needle. It seemed… so familiar to him.

Lucas pulled the needle and leaned away as burning steam rose from the ground where the needle was inserted. Rainbow colors flashed around Lucas, the whole world seeming to change colors for an instant. This process too seemed familiar to Lucas. _I feel like I've done this before… but that can't be possible! _This had to be yet another _feeling. _After the last of the steam rose from where the needle had been impaled, Lucas sighed in relief, allowing himself to breathe normally. He felt a sense of pride at actually accomplishing something. Before, it had always been Claus doing all of the real work while Lucas sat on the sidelines.

Lucas turned away and walked back through the cave and passed through the rotting, abandoned house, looking for his companions. He found Duster…

Laying on the ground in a puddle of blood.

"Duster!" Lucas shouted in horror.

He ran up to Duster and knelt down, not caring about the blood that got on his clothes. Duster's eyes were closed and he didn't have a pulse.

He was dead.

Lucas buried his head in his hands. He hadn't known Duster well, but that stop the despair from pulling his strings.

_Wow, this must be pretty rough for you, _a voice in his mind said. It was like a telepathic message, but Lucas was somehow sure that it came from inside of his mind.

_Did… someone say something to me? _Lucas asked his mind.

_Yes. _

Lucas almost fell over from surprise.

_Have I gone over the edge? _Lucas asked himself. _Has this cruel world driven me insane?_

_Hmm, _the voice from his mind mused. _I guess that I can't rule that out as possibility. If I were merely a figment of your imagination, I wouldn't know that, right? That's… pretty scary. _

_Who are you? _Lucas asked, looking around to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating.

_Now, that is a complicated question. For now… I guess you should call me "Voice." _

_All right, Voice, _Lucas sent. _What are you doing in my mind?_

_Are you sure that this mind is yours?_

_I… _This mind was Lucas', right? It couldn't be anyone else's. _What are you trying to imply? _

_Nothing, _Voice replied. _I simply… want you to consider before you judge. _

_What the… you can't expect me to think about something like that!_

_I guess so… _Voice mused. _Oh, it looks like I have to go already. It was nice talking to you, Lucas, even for such a short amount of time._

Lucas blinked.

_Hello? _he asked. No response.

Lucas looked around, noticing Ana's absence for the first time. _I hope that she escaped… _

For Lucas wasn't sure that he could take the news of another death.

* * *

Even before Kumatora died, she had always been a child of death.

There was no other way to put it. Kumatora's role in society was to be a harbinger of doom. Shunned, exiled, but still needed. People always looked at her with suspicious eyes, hating her and her visions. But when she told them about their fate, they would always listen.

_Humans cannot accept death, _Kumatora thought._ They fear it and obsess over it, but they can't accept it._

Kumatora's heart pumped, sending warm agony to her neck and the upper right part of her face, both of which had to be replaced by robotic parts. _They didn't do anything about the pain when they revived me, _Kumatora though. _They wanted it to be clean and efficient, I guess. _That made Kumatora want to laugh. Nothing that the pigmasks did was _ever _clean.

But it wasn't her place to judge.

Kumatora stood in a hovercraft, but she barely noticed her sleek, futuristic surroundings. She stood next to Fassad, who was floating in the air with a jetpack. Kumatora's starstorm back at the school had left Fassad's legs unusable. Kumatora stood there for a few moments, each heartbeat sending the same agony to the flesh beneath her metallic plating on her face and neck. Sometimes she did nothing but focus on the pain. It distracted her from thinking too much.

"We should leave Onett," Kumatora asserted. "The needle has been pulled. There's no further need to occupy this useless place."

Fassad snarled, but it came out as a musical note through is trumpeted nose.

"I am in charge here, not you!" Fassad said with loathing overpowering all other emotions in his voice.

_So petty… almost like he has not faced death himself! _Kumatora thought in contempt. _I suppose that he still has hard feelings towards me for the starstorm… how sad. He should learn to let go. _

"Think about it," Kumatora rasped evenly. "What do we have left to gain?"

"We need to find Lucas!"

"I found someone with the power of PSI," Kumatora responded, looking out the window at the natural scenery below. "It is likely that she is the culprit. I found nobody else."

That was true, but it was only because Kumatora hadn't looked. She _had _known that Lucas was probably near, so why hadn't she stopped to look for him? _It's because he's Claus' brother, _Kumatora realized. _I don't want to stop Claus, and brainwashing his brother would surely put an end to his innocence._

Fassad snarled a flat note.

"Lucas will not escape me!"

"He will," Kumatora replied, still staring at the world below the hovercraft. "Our orders were to protect the needles for the chosen one to pull. We failed. That's all there is to it."

Fassad looked at Kumatora with bulging, furious eyes. Kumatora held in the inner amusement that she felt.

"Attention, all pigmasks!" Fassad announced grudgingly into a microphone. "We are moving out of this uncivilized village! The helicopters leave in 30 minutes!"

The hovercraft's microphone allowed the message to be loud enough to be heard by the entire city. Kumatora smiled in triumph.

"There's still something that I need to take care of," Kumatora announced.

Without waiting for a reaction from Fassad, she opened the door and effortlessly flew into one of the pigmasks' helicopters. On the white floor lay a girl that Kumatora had previously tied up. _Ana. Her name is Ana. _

"Who… are you?" Ana asked, her bulging eyes showing both terror and curiosity.

Kumatora didn't respond.

"I asked what your name was!" Ana exclaimed in annoyance.

"Antagonizing me is not a good idea," Kumatora rasped calmly.

That shut Ana up.

An image came to Kumatora's mind. She saw Ana lying in the black sludge of a gutter. Ana was horribly thin and weak; her hair was as rough as straw. She was lying on her back, eyes closed and a hand over her heart. Concrete streets surrounded her, and Kumatora could see raindrops frozen in space. This was a vision. Kumatora was seeing the future.

"You are going to die in three days," Kumatora rasped. Ana's face paled.

"…Why do you have to threaten me?" Ana asked, her voice nonetheless shaking in fear. "You can already do whatever you want with me…"

"That wasn't a threat," Kumatora replied simply. "You are going to die in the gutters of New Pork. That is nothing more than a fact. It's a pity, I suppose. I was supposed to bring more PSI users to brainwash…"

Ana fell silent.

"You seem scared of death," Kumatora noted. "You shouldn't be. Everyone dies; there's no need to care."

"Everyone lives too," Ana whispered longingly. "That's worth caring about."

"Life brings nothing but pain," Kumatora rasped, turning away.

"If you're so sure of that, why haven't you killed me?" Ana demanded. "If I'm going to die anyway, why are you letting me live?"

"Do you want to die?"

"We just established that I don't!"

"Then why are you saying something that could provoke me?"

It was a purely hypothetical question; Kumatora had no plans to kill this girl no matter what nonsense she decided to spout.

"Because part of life is learning," Ana said as if she was begging Kumatora to understand, "And I want to know what makes you act like this. You killed Duster without feeling anything! I've seen hardened killers before and your lack of emotion put theirs to shame! What you stand for… it terrifies me."

Duster… Kumatora recognized that name. _Did I kill somebody that I knew?_ Disturbingly, Kumatora found that she didn't care.

"I think that I need waste no further time," Kumatora announced, not knowing why she came in the first place. "I will be on my way. Have a nice trip."

As she turned to head back to Fassad's hovercraft, Ana spoke:

"Tell me one thing, whoever you are."

Kumatora halted.

"Yes?" she asked, not sure why she should care.

"Is there a voice inside your head that is screams in horror whenever you kill?"

Kumatora paused, standing there for minutes without moving a muscle, feeling nothing but the pain of her flesh beneath the metallic plating.

"Yes," she replied simply and flew out of the helicopter.


	16. Chapter 16: Reunion

**Phew, I just got back from Driver's Ed, so I'm really itching to actually do something! xD**

**This chapter and the next one are pretty explanatory and aren't all that exciting, so I'm going to try to shell them out quickly and focus more of my energy on the fun stuff. :) These chapters are pretty important for setting up the plot, though... This one mostly focuses on Lucas and Claus while the next one will focus on Ness and Jeff back in New Pork (There is a bit of overlap, though). After that, there will be more needle-pulling action! I kinda want to get this story done with so that I can write something new (I tried, but it's hard for me to focus on a new story when editing this is my main priority xD), so I might try to update more often. Don't feel like you have to catch each one! :)**

**Reader Reviews:**

**A Fan:**** Hey, don't worry about writing long reviews! The longer, the better! :)**

**Remember how Kumatora predicted the death of both Lucas and herself early in the story? Same thing here. :) Also, I'm not saying that Ana is going to die, but she can't cast PSI while she's tied up like she is now. ****Sadly, Jeff isn't in this chapter, but there's a good 1k words on him next chapter (I try to write about him more but I honestly find Ness to be more interesting, so... yeah). **

**Lucas does have Healing gamma but I don't interpret the ability as being able to revive the dead, especially in Mother 3 (and this story is more Mother 3-esque). I mean, Lucas can't just revive Hinawa after he learns the ability in the game! xD Even in Earthbound, I interpret falling to 0hp as being knocked out. I know that it says that they take "mortal damage" and their sprites are ghosts, but no hospital on Earth can restore a dead person back to full health. ._. That made me think of what the world would be like if there was such an easy way to revive people, though. PSI users would be worked to their limits to revive the dead while there would be a seemingly unlimited demand for more. That could result in either a bidding system or a lot of bureaucratic inertia, both of which don't seem pleasant. That could be a great fanfic idea! xD**

**Oh, and after ch. 15 this story was halfway over in terms of the number of chapters, but so far as content goes I was about 40% done. :) The last few chapters are really long haha (I think the last one is 5.5k words...).**

**Phew! See, I get long winded in my responses as well! xD Have a nice day! :)**

**Orangeflight of**** ShadowClan:**** Hi Orange! :) I saw that you favorited and followed this story awhile back, so thanks for that! **

**I won't say if Ana is going to die or not (because what would be the fun in that?) but I do have plans for her. She ended up being my favorite character, so I hope that you enjoy what I have in store! :)**

**Like I said above, I plan to update this fanfic pretty rapidly, so hopefully you won't have to wait long! :) If you want to write more reviews, feel more than welcome! ...But of course, do what you want. :) Wow... I totally just used four smiley faces in a small amount of text. xD**

* * *

_Is love the strongest emotion of all?_

_Sometimes I wonder. In all of the stories, the heroes win with the power of love or friendship. That has caused love as a vehicle for success to appear as "cheesy," "overused," and eventually "unrealistic." _

_Still… there's a reason that the bonds between us bring success to the heroes in the stories. Fighting to the death pushes us to our limits, but fighting for somebody else can allow us to go beyond limits. The feeling that permeates through us when we fight for someone that we care about is powerful indeed._

* * *

Claus appeared in Onett. The town itself looked similar to Twoson, where both nature and sophistication flourished (it seemed sophisticated to Claus, at least). However, he was surprised by the sight of pigmask helicopters flying away from the small town.

"Hmm, that is not good news," Poo spoke up. "The fact that the pigmasks are leaving likely indicates that they already pulled the needle."

_That would make three… to our one. _That would mean that that Claus and Lucas would have to pull the next three before the masked man pulled one. He hoped that Poo wasn't right about this one.

"Let's check with Ness' mom," Paula suggested.

"Ness' mom? Does that mean that Ness used to live here?" Claus asked.

Paula nodded. _I'm standing in the place where Ness lived his childhood. _That just seemed… weird.

"Checking with Ness' mother appears to the prudent option," Poo concurred. "Let's head there immediately."

Claus passed brick buildings and concrete sidewalks, taking in the scenery. _Is it possible for technology to coexist with a close community? _Claus wondered. Cars whizzed by and Claus spotted electronic machines that said "ATM" on them. Those were indicators of a town that was far more technologically advanced than Tazmily, his home town. Claus considered increases in technology to be destructive to people's happiness, but in Onett that didn't seem to be the case. People were wandering around with smiles on their faces. Was it possible that industrialism wasn't bad and that New Pork was just doing it wrong? …Not that Onett was industrialized at all, but…

Claus had no more time to think about that question, however, because he soon arrived at Ness' house. Paula went up first and knocked on the door. Ness' mother opened it, her face beaming when she saw Paula.

"Oh, Paula! It's wonderful to see you. Now that the pigmasks took off… oh, hello, Poo! I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there…" she trailed off as she looked at Claus, staring at him long enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Do I have something on my face?" Claus asked.

Tracy walked up to the door and smiled at sight of Paula.

"Oh, hi Paula! Are these your friends…? Oh, hello again," she said to Claus. "Your hair is orange now. How did that happen?"

Claus put the pieces together.

"I'm not Lucas," he said, turning back to Ness' mother. "Have you seen him?"

Ness' mother nodded.

"He went to Giant's Step to pull one of those needles."

Paula's eyes lit up.

"So it wasn't the pigmasks that pulled the needle… We can hope so, at least." She turned back to Claus. "Lucas is your brother, right? The one that you talked to me about?"

Claus nodded, still feeling sick from that conversation. _Did I influence Lucas in a negative way? _he wondered.

"We should go to Giant's step," Poo asserted. "We might be able to find some clues there."

_Clues… or maybe Lucas? _Claus' spirits began to rise.

"All right!" Claus exclaimed. "Let's go! Maybe… I'll find you there, Lucas."

* * *

Lucas couldn't tear himself away from the corpse. He knew that staying there wasn't going to change anything, but he found his body incapable of movement. So he just knelt there and thought.

Lucas woke from that trance when he heard people approaching him. He turned to face them, and saw…

"Claus!" he shouted, relief flushing out all negative emotions. "You're alive!"

Claus grinned upon seeing Lucas. He rushed forward and hugged Lucas, just as they had done in Magicant.

"Careful, brother," Lucas cautioned halfheartedly. "I'm all bloody."

"I couldn't care less!" Claus exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down his eyes. "You're alive!"

Lucas smiled weakly and noticed a boy and a girl standing behind Claus. The girl wore a smile while the boy looked stern and disapproving.

"Care to introduce me to your friends, Claus?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, these are Paula and Poo. They're friends with Ness."

"Oh!" Lucas exclaimed in surprise. "I guess it's a small world, huh?"

"For us PSI users it is," Paula replied. "We're wanted by the pigmasks, so we have to stick together."

Poo walked over to Duster's corpse and began to examine it.

"Axe wound," he said simply.

Lucas noticed that Claus seemed to pale upon hearing those words. Was he disturbed by the death or was there another reason?

"What's wrong, Claus?" Paula asked, also noticing Claus' discomfort. "Do you know who could have done this?"

Claus didn't respond.

"The 'ghost' that you met when you went to pull the needle," Paula started again. "Is this their work?"

Claus' eyes bulged in surprise.

"How did you…?"

Paula smiled.

"You aren't very hard to read, Claus. I simply made an educated guess."

"This ghost…" Lucas cut in nervously, his heart pounding in his chest. "You don't mean mother, do you?"

Claus' eyes widened with horror.

"No, of course not! …wait, was that actually you in Magicant?"

"Yeah, of course!" Lucas replied. "Both of us and mother were real! There was no way that something like that could just be a fabrication. My mind isn't clever enough for that. And if my mind isn't clever enough, then yours _definitely-_"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Claus said. "There's no need to poke fun at my lack of cleverness."

Lucas laughed.

"I can't help it, Claus. Your reactions are so _entertaining._"

"I'm _so_ glad," Claus responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Excuse me," Paula chimed in, "But did you say 'Magicant?'"

"Yes…" Claus replied. "Don't tell me that you know about that place too!"

"Sorry, I do," Paula said with an apologetic smile. "However, I only know about it because we were on a mission to get there…"

Lucas blinked.

"Really? Because we went there."

Paula raised an eyebrow.

"You need the eight melodies," she said simply.

"Huh?" Claus asked.

"Remember, Claus? Mother mentioned something like that as well. She said that normally, someone would need the eight melodies in order to travel to Magicant," Lucas explained.

"Oh yeah, I do remember that," Claus realized out loud.

"No offense, but I still find your story doubtful," Paula said bluntly. "Even if you did go to Magicant, the people that you would meet there wouldn't be real. There's no way that you actually saw each other there."

"Mother also mentioned that," Lucas recalled. "She said that she was able to create a zone in Magicant where we could both exist with the help of an acquaintance."

"I don't think that's possible," Paula argued. "Magicant is a world within your mind. To connect two different Magicants, you would literally have to connect two different minds. Someone would have to have access to _godlike _PSI in order to do that. I'm not saying that your mother was lying to you, but maybe she was mistaken."

"I don't know," Lucas responded. "My mother seemed very certain that the world that we were in was Magicant. Is there any way to check with someone else who did go there to see if our experiences match up?"

Paula shook her head.

"Nobody that I know of ever been. Ness was so close, but…"

"What happened?" Claus asked, missing Paula's reluctant tone.

"We failed to save the world," Paula replied. "That's what happened. I guess the world saved itself in the end, but… the hopelessness that we all felt was _horrible. _I don't like to remember it. That's why this talk about Magicant is making me so bitter. I… am sorry for that."

"It's okay," Lucas said weakly. "I know how horrible it can feel when you know that there's no way out."

_Isn't that right, mother? _

"Yeah," Claus added sadly, turning back to Lucas. "The ghost that I mentioned earlier wasn't mother. It was Kumatora. She's been resurrected and brainwashed. She uses an axe."

Claus tried to get the words out quickly, as if it would diminish the pain. Instead, it ended up overwhelming Lucas, who didn't know how to sort through something so _wrong_.

_How much pain does Kumatora have to go through? _Lucas wondered. _And the fact that death is no longer the end… what has this world become? _

"You think that this 'Kumatora' person killed this man," Paula told Claus.

"…Yes," Claus replied reluctantly. "She's brainwashed, and I don't know anyone else who uses an axe."

"If this is true, the pigmasks may be more dangerous than we had originally anticipated," Poo cut in. "We should head back to Ness' house to regroup and discuss strategy."

Lucas wanted… to lash out at the world around him. Duster was dead, and everyone was already trying to forget! He knew that he couldn't blame Poo or the others; they were being more productive than he was. But something about the whole mess made Lucas angry for reasons that he couldn't quite describe.

* * *

After burying Duster's body, the four PSI teenagers returned to Ness' house. Paula explained everything that happened to Ness' mother, who had graciously offered to let them stay the night and promised to remain vigilant in case Ana decided to show up. Lucas first told everything that had happened to him, followed by Claus' explanation of his events. The four PSI kids then decided to discuss strategy in Ness' old room.

"The two remaining needles that we have knowledge of are located in Saturn Valley and Osohe Castle," Poo announced. "We have pulled two needles, and it's safe to assume that the other two were pulled by the masked man. If we can secure these last two needles, then we win."

"There's a needle in Osohe?" Claus asked in disbelief. "I've lived near there for all of my life and I never saw a needle."

"It's probably hidden," Lucas offered. "I don't think that either of the needles that we found were in plain sight."

"Back to the plan," Poo said, attempting to redirect the conversation like a schoolteacher, "Paula and I both agree that it is best to split up at this point."

Anxiety, fear, regret, and sorrow raged through Lucas' body, emotions crashing into each other like waves that left Lucas unsure how to respond.

"Obviously, our PK Love users have to be split up," Poo explained. "After all, we need to have someone in each group who can pull the needle."

Lucas and Claus looked at each other.

_Are you okay if we split up for a while? _Lucas received from Claus.

_Yeah… I think, _Lucas sent back.

_Are you sure?_

_…Yes._

_You don't sound sure._

"Now that leaves the question of who goes with me and who goes with Paula," Poo continued. "It makes sense that each team should have one healer. That means that the teams are me with Claus and Lucas with Paula."

_Damn! _Lucas received from Claus. _How come I always get stuck with that kid?_

_Karma? _Lucas offered.

_…Shut up. _

Lucas struggled to avoid laughing.

"Are you two paying attention?" Poo inquired sternly.

"Yes, mother," Claus responded in mock servility.

Poo started fuming with anger.

"You little…"

"Since Poo is indisposed, I guess I'll have to-" Paula cut in.

"Wait!" Poo exclaimed. "I'll get back to the topic."

Claus shot Paula a thankful smile.

_I guess you're popular with the girls, huh? _Lucas sent.

_…I'm not even going to respond to that, _Claus sent back.

_Saying that you're not going to respond is a response._

_…_

"Anyways," Poo continued. "That leaves the question of which group should go where. The big difference left unaccounted for is the fact that I know PK Teleport while Lucas doesn't. Therefore, Lucas and Paula should go to the nearer of the two needles, which is the one in Osohe. Claus and I will go to Saturn Valley."

Osohe… _I get to go back to Tazmily! I can see father again… _It felt like years since Lucas and Claus had fled to New Pork to avoid being captured by pigmasks, even though it had only been a few months. Lucas' father Flint had to stay behind to imply that Lucas and Claus were hiding somewhere near Tazmily, as it followed that the pigmasks would suspect that the family would stick together. Lucas felt a sense of joy at the thought of returning home.

"We'll stay the night and head out tomorrow," Poo announced. "We should go to sleep soon. After pulling our respective needles, we should return to this house in Onett."

_Hey, Lucas! _That had to be Paula sending the telepathic message.

_What? _Lucas asked.

_Poo and Claus will be able to finish earlier than we will due to the lack of travel time. What do you say we try to minimize the time difference and head out tonight?_

_Sure, _Lucas replied. _I don't see why not._

_I have some bicycles back in Twoson for us to use._

_I… don't know how to ride a bike, _Lucas admitted.

_Oh… That may be a problem._

_I don't think so. My body is extremely fit for whatever reason. I think that I can keep up on foot._

_If you say so. Should we go now?_

_I think we should wait and sneak out, _Lucas suggested. _I don't know about Poo, but I think that Claus would try to stop us._

_All right, _Paula replied. _I'll leave a letter behind so they don't worry. _

Lucas lied down in bed, feigning an attempt to fall asleep. Inside his head, thoughts were jumbled to the point of confusion. _Kumatora… Duster… Ana… Father… Jeff… Ness… Why do so many have to suffer? _

Try as he might, Lucas could find no answer to that question.

* * *

Claus should have known that Lucas would try to leave early.

In truth, he just got lucky; he was about to doze off when he heard Lucas get out of bed. Claus thought nothing of it at first; maybe his brother just needed to use the bathroom. However, after Paula got up as well, Claus started to get suspicious. He crawled out of bed and started following them.

_What if they both just want to go to the bathroom? _Claus wondered. _I would look like an idiot. _Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Paula leave the house. Claus followed suit, not caring if he was noticed.

"Claus!" Lucas exclaimed. Both he and Paula were standing on the road that led to downtown Onett. Claus jogged over.

"Hello, Lucas," Claus said amiably. "Nice to see you too out here, Paula."

Lucas blushed while Paula showed no signs of shame.

"We have a longer road to travel, Claus," Paula explained. "It only makes sense that we should get a head start."

"You could have told us," Claus said, still keeping his voice friendly.

"We thought that you and Poo would try to stop us," Paula responded. "Poo especially. He hates it when he feels that someone is working harder than he is."

"I'm still not sure that I should let you go…" Claus trailed off.

"Why not?" Paula asked. "Give me one good reason."

"Um… it would bug Poo if you two took off?" Claus offered weakly.

"That's not a good reason," Paula replied with a smile. "You do the exact opposite of what you are suggesting quite often!"

Claus shrugged, admitting defeat.

"Well then… shouldn't you get some rest, Lucas? You've had a long day."

"I can do this, Claus," Lucas said, fiery determination in his eyes.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Claus warned.

"I don't think that's an issue," Paula responded. "Lucas seems quite confident in his abilities… and he is not one to normally gloat. He will probably be fine."

"…All right," Claus conceded. "Go."

Lucas blinked.

"Wait, you're not even going to try to stop us?" Lucas asked incredulously. "Who are you and what have you done with Claus?"

That hurt more than it should have. Had he really been so overbearing before…?

"Lucas," Claus managed weakly. "I'm sorry that I was overprotective of you before."

Lucas' eyes opened wide in denial.

"No, no, don't apologize for that! You were just doing what you thought was best."

"I scarred you," Claus said sadly.

"Scarred me? How?"

"The way that you can't talk to people without getting nervous, the way that you always feel bad about yourself… it's all because I didn't let you do anything for yourself!"

Lucas looked at Claus wryly.

"Even if my issues come from my childhood experiences, which I doubt, this is my problem just as much as yours! I never told you to stop protecting me, did I? I should be the one apologizing right now."

"You don't understand…" Claus whispered.

"I think… that he understands better than you do," Paula cut in. "Lucas, do you think that it is impossible that Claus' actions could influence your behavior today?"

"Of course he could have affected me," Lucas replied. "It's just that he is overestimating his impact on my personality. I was very shy and had low self-esteem to begin with. Maybe his, no, our actions could have _slightly _shifted my personally, but it really doesn't make a difference in the large scale of things."

"But…" Claus fumbled. "I should have known better."

"Yeah, you should have known better when you were eight," Lucas countered wryly. "Claus, nobody expects you to think through something like this when you're a little kid! Besides, you couldn't have known how it would affect me. I didn't even notice, and I'm the one feeling the effects!"

"I… all right," Claus backed down. "I guess you win. Again."

"See?" Paula told Claus. "That's exactly why I know that you're different from Lloid's parents. You're willing to change; you're willing to admit that you're wrong. That is one of the best attributes a person can have."

"Thanks," Claus replied, feeling much better. "Oh, I have something to give to you, Lucas!"

Claus pulled out his Franklin Badge and handed it to Lucas.

"What's this?" Lucas asked.

"This badge will protect you from electric attacks," Claus explained. "It will be more useful for you. Saturn Valley is pretty remote, so there aren't going to be as many enemies. You'll get better use out of this than I will."

Lucas laughed.

"That's a nice excuse, Claus," he replied, putting the badge on. "This looks kind of silly, doesn't it?"

Now it was Claus' turn to be surprised.

"Wait, you're accepting it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lucas replied. "Your logic is sound. I figure that if you are willing to back down in the face of reason, I should too."

Claus smiled.

"Have a good trip," he said as he turned to head back to Ness' house.

Man, it felt good to have gotten that off of his chest.


	17. Chapter 17: EmptiNess

**Hi again! :) I discovered that I suck at multitasking and can't focus on more than one story at a time. :( That means that I need to finish up with this one before I start writing another one (at least if I want both of them to be my best work). Therefore, I'm going to try to crank these out quickly. My goal is to be done by the time that my school is out (mid June), so I'm going to try to update every two days. I'm reviewing multiple chapters at a time so that I still have plenty of time to mull stuff over in my head.**

**Also, do you guys remember how Ness got all philosophical to distance himself from New Pork's dreary issues as a defense mechanism? There's actually a psychological term for that called intellectualization (which apparently is so obscure that this editor marks it as a spelling mistake xD). When I saw that today, I was like "O.O did I actually make something that realistic?" ...Maybe you guys don't care, but I think that it's pretty cool. :D**

**Review Responses:**

**JustMe. Hi:**** Glad to have you back! :) Yup, I do tend to kill off characters. D: My rule of thumb is that I kill a character if they contribute more to the story dead than alive (whether it be through other people's reactions or resurrection as a deluded undead cyborg). The exception that I have is that having characters struggle for so long and then end up failing and dying. It may mean more to the story, but it's still annoying to watch a character grow for so long... and then see them die without accomplishing anything. :( Anyways, feel more than welcome to keep reviewing! :)**

**Orangeflight of**** ShadowClan:**** Yeah, I kind of wanted Lucas and Claus to stay together, but it made more sense from a logic perspective to split up and some of the plot stuff is easier to do with split up groups.**

**There's a little bit of Lucas and Paula in this chapter, and they'll have two chapters that are almost entirely devoted to them... although one of them is mostly Paula talking about stuff. xD Yeah, writing the Saturn Valley part was pretty cool but really hard. It was a struggle to make the Mr. Saturns sound like Mr. Saturns. As a result, I didn't put in as much Mr. Saturn dialogue in as I wanted to. Oh well. :( Instead, Claus and Poo spend more quality time with each other. xD I hope that you enjoy it anyway! :)**

**A Fan:**** Yeah, there's not a whole lot to talk about in that chapter (and this one!). It will start to pick up next chapter, though. :)**

**Derp. They totally should have done something about Duster's body! I totally forgot and I have no idea why! . I went back and added in something that says that they buried him. Thanks for the catch! :)**

**Heh, I love your predictions/ideas, but I don't want to give anything away, so I'm not going to respond. :)**

**Oh yeah, Porky is totally going to be in this fanfic! :) I'm not going to reveal much more, although I will say that he has a pretty important role in the plot. Honestly, his and Kumatora's character were the hardest to make. I struggle at making good villains. :( I mean, I don't want to make them like "I'm going to do bad guy things because I'm a bad guy," but I also don't want to them like "I'm just a misunderstood good guy," or "I'm making sacrifices for the greater good," because all of those are overdone. **

**It's always nice to read your reviews! :)**

**-Connor (now with 80% more smiley faces)**

* * *

_Still, is love the strongest emotion? That is quite a bold claim. Despair seems to be a mighty contender, being able to drive the strongest of people to their knees and forcing so many others to stop caring, giving their lives to the void of emptiness._

_Regardless of the answer… hold onto your brotherly love for each other, Claus and Lucas._

_You're lucky to have people alive that you love._

* * *

"Hello, father," Jeff said, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"Oh, hello, son," Dr. Andonuts replied absentmindedly, fiddling with one of those "Pork Pad" tablets.

The two of them stared at each other in the metal room filled with metal computers with enough of a disconnect that Jeff had to check to make sure that _he _wasn't made of metal too.

"Why did you call me here?" Jeff asked out of poorly veiled annoyance.

"Hrmm… I have an issue that I need your help with," Dr. Andonuts replied.

Was that nervousness in his voice?

"What is it?" Jeff asked, unable to keep bitterness from seeping into is tone.

His father's projects almost always were designed to further the Pigmask Empire, which was why Jeff loathed participating in them. His father wasn't a bad person, necessarily, but… he could be blind in many ways.

"There's been a breach of security!" Dr. Andonuts exclaimed. "Someone has hacked into our system!"

_Well, I guess that's me, _Jeff thought, trying not to let his reaction show.

"So you want me to help you find this person?" Jeff asked, his face so deadpan that it could make computers jealous.

"Person? I could only wish. There have been two separate people that hacked onto our servers!"

_Two? Who is the other?_

"Wow, that's even worse than two non-separate people," Jeff joked seriously.

"I know!" Dr. Andonuts exclaimed, missing the joke. "If I fail at keeping the servers secure…" he shuddered.

Jeff felt a pang of guilt. He had hacked onto the servers without even thinking about how it could affect his father. Was Dr. Andonuts implying that he could be executed if he failed his job?

"Father," Jeff started seriously. "How do you know that we and the pigmasks are doing the right thing?"

Dr. Andonuts blinked.

"We are providing wonderful technology to the world, my boy," Dr. Andonuts said, his eyes twinkling out of sincere excitement. "Why wouldn't we be doing the right thing?"

_Are you blind to the sewers and streets of filth that pile up with more gunk every day?_ Jeff wanted to ask._ Can you not feel for the empty-eyed people in the slums? Does the pang of poverty mean nothing to you? _Of course, Jeff couldn't voice those questions without being accused of treason.

"All right," Jeff lied. "I'll try my hardest to catch the culprits."

_Maybe I can team up with the other person that hacked in… _

"All right," Dr. Andonuts in a relieved voice that made Jeff feel guilty. "I'll leave it to your capable hands. I… am going on a trip to Saturn Valley soon. If I can work with the Mr. Saturns… maybe I can create something truly phenomenal!"

"That's exciting," Jeff said, pretending to care more than he actually did. "I hope that you can make something that benefits humanity."

Dr. Andonuts nodded nervously and exited the room. As Jeff heard the sliding door close behind him, he looked up at one of the computers. He could hardly believe what he saw on the screen. Hope rose through his heart, being shortly replaced by sheer joy.

_It's a miracle!_

* * *

"So, what is it that you were dying to tell me about?" Ness asked Jeff in their usual meeting room.

"Hmm… do I start with the good news or the bad news?" Jeff wondered out loud.

"Not sure if that question was rhetorical, but I would prefer if you started with the bad news," Ness responded with a smile of encouragement. "I want to end this conversation on a happy note."

Ness ecstasy for life had mellowed into contentment, which was fine. Ness felt relaxed for the first time in months. He had forgotten how it felt to be free of the boulders of worry that weighed him down. Ness felt… like he could just jump into the air and take off flying. Eventually, he would reach the amber sun in the sky, watching it glow softly as the world of iron below continued on with its stressful business.

"All right," Jeff said. "The bad news. My father knows that someone is hacking into the system."

"So we just need to be more careful?" Ness asked.

"Actually, my dad implied that he could get into big trouble if the hacks continued."

"Oh… that's not good."

"I don't know what to do!" Jeff exclaimed. "I can't just leave my father to suffer like this, but at the same time… the world is at stake! I just wish that there was some right answer… no matter what, it seems like I'm doing something wrong!"

"Were you and your father close before he started working for the Pigmasks?" Ness probed gently.

"No," Jeff replied.

Ness was not surprised; Jeff and his father always seemed… distant.

"He never really cared that much about me," Jeff explained. "At least my mother raised me for as long as she could…"

Was that longing in Jeff's voice? Ness looked into Jeff's melancholy eyes and decided that now was not the right time to press the subject.

"In that case, I don't see why you should worry so much about what happens to your father," Ness said.

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked in confusion.

"Your father didn't care about you as a child, so I don't see why he should matter anymore than a random passerby."

Great, now _he _was starting to get bitter. _I need to forget about that incident… _Ness told himself._ It's just another boulder that weighs me down and holds me back._

"Ness!" Jeff exclaimed. "What are you saying? Are you…?"

"Falling into depression? No. I'm just saying that you don't owe him your loyalty. The reason that we respect and care about our parents is that they love us and devote a lot of effort into raising us. Maybe if your father cared about you now and was ready to apologize, you should cater to his needs, but since he isn't…" Ness trailed off, not needing to finish the sentence.

"I… don't know how to feel about that," Jeff responded, "But… thanks for your advice. I'll think about it in greater detail later."

Ness nodded. He had always admired Jeff's ability to think about unpleasant advice without immediately dismissing it. Ness needed to work on that himself

"Now the good news…?" Ness asked, heart pounding in his chest.

Jeff smiled in what felt like the first time in months.

"Onett has been liberated!"

* * *

_Phew, that was a long run, _Lucas sent, panting in exhaustion.

"Yeah, no joke!" Paula exclaimed from atop her bike. "I knew that you were being serious, but man… running for 60 miles straight is insane! How in the world did you do that?"

_PK healing restores oxygen and reduces fatigue, _Lucas sent matter-of-factly.

"…And you used PK healing once every hour, tops," Paula replied, giving Lucas a flat look. "You set a pace of 10 miles per hour and kept it for an hour straight, knowing that you had to do the same for five more hours. All as someone who's body isn't fully matured. How in the world did you do that?"

_I honestly have no idea. One day, I just got incredibly fit for no reason whatsoever._

"That's not how it works…"

_Yeah, I know. It's confusing for me, too. This may sound weird, but I almost feel guilty. _

"Guilty that you just suddenly got in shape while other people who work harder at it don't get as fit?" Paula offered.

_Yeah. _

"I totally know what you mean!"

_You do? _

"Yeah. One of my cousins is smarter and works harder than I do, but I still did better in school because he had family issues. He had all of the right things going for him… and he still did worse. That made me sad. It felt like life isn't fair."

_Well, life isn't fair. _

"Yeah, but it takes most people several years to realize that."

_That's true. I only realized it when I was ten. _That was when mother had died…

"Ten's still pretty young, you know."

_…__I suppose. _

Lucas spotted a person in the distance, a brown dog standing next to them. Could it be..? Lucas took off toward the man.

"You know that guy?" Paula asked, following on her bike.

_I think I do… _Lucas sent.

As he approached the man, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Father!" Lucas shouted in glee.

The man turned around and looked at Lucas, a smile coming to his face.

"Lucas! I haven't seen you in so long! Where's Claus?"

"Claus isn't coming anytime soon," Lucas replied soberly. "We're both on a mission. It was just a coincidence that we were brought here."

"I…see," Flint said neutrally, although Lucas could tell that he was disappointed. Claus had always been his favorite.

Remembering Paula's presence, Lucas turned to her.

"Paula, this is my father, Flint. Father, this is Paula."

"Nice to meet you," Paula said politely, hopping off of her bike with a sweet smile.

Lucas expected Paula to be offset by Flint's rural appearance, but either Paula was hiding it well or she didn't mind.

"You have a girlfriend now, Lucas?" Flint asked.

"No!" Lucas quickly exclaimed, feeling himself blush. "It's nothing like that! Claus was always the one who was popular with the girls, remember?"

Flint smiled.

"Yes, I do remember. Memories are all that I have, aside from Boney."

Lucas noticed the dog standing next to Flint for the first time.

"Hey, Boney," Lucas said, squatting down to pet him.

Boney looked up at Lucas with wide, crystalline eyes that transmitted all of the joy that he must have been feeling.

"What do you mean that your memories and Boney are all that you have left?" Lucas asked Flint.

"Everyone's moved out of Tazmily," Flint replied sadly.

Lucas looked out at all of the houses in the distance. They had all been reduced to empty husks, no signs of life in any of them.

"Tazmily… this must be where you lived, huh?" Paula asked.

Lucas nodded.

"It feels so… empty," Paula said wistfully.

"The worst part is the silence," Flint said. "It feels like I'm completely alone out here."

Lucas looked out in the distance, seeing nothing but a sea of grass painted onto the landscape. He could imagine how Flint must have felt, looking out into what felt like infinite emptiness and hearing nothing. Lucas probably would have gone insane if he had to deal with that.

"Lucas, won't you come to our old house?" Flint asked. "We should get caught up."

_I'm not sure that you want to hear what I've gone through… _Lucas thought. But the least that Lucas could do after not seeing his father in months was talk with him at their house. Lucas turned to Paula.

"Are you okay if we rest at my house for a couple of hours?" He asked. "I know that getting to the needles is important, but I really want to talk with my father a bit more."

"Sure," Paula replied supportively. "Thanks to your superhuman display of athletics, we're ahead of schedule anyway."

"Hmm?" Flint asked. "What about Lucas and superhuman athletics?"

"Lucas ran 60 miles in six hours, straight!" Paula announced. "I'm not joking."

"Really?" Flint asked in disbelief.

"I have no idea how, but yes," Lucas replied.

"Huh," Flint said. "That's… very impressive."

_He doesn't believe us, _Lucas realized. _I guess I can't really blame him. _

"Let's continue talking in our house," Lucas suggested. "The emptiness out here feels so oppressive."

"I second the motion," Paula added with a reserved smile.

Flint nodded and started walking towards their house. Lucas was surprised at how slowly his father walked. Lucas supposed that after months of being alone, the extra time that it took to walk slowly didn't matter much.

* * *

_You seem happy, _Salsa the monkey thought. Ness was using the mind reader machine (which was yet another helmet) to converse with Salsa. Ness could send telepathic messages that the monkey could understand and then read his mind to get the response.

_Hell yeah, I'm happy! My family is free! _Ness sent enthusiastically.

_That's… good for you, _Salsa thought bitterly.

_Oh, your girlfriend Samba is still locked up, right? _Ness sent, kicking himself for forgetting.

_Yes. I haven't seen her in a while. I hope that she's alive…_

Ness imagined what Salsa must feel. If he had seen someone rejoice about the freedom of their family while Ness' family was still locked up, Ness would probably have been cold and dismissive. Salsa made an effort to congratulate Ness while the monkey that he loved was still locked up… that made Ness feel an intense sense of shame.

_I'm sure that she is! _Ness sent hastily. _You just have to hold out for a bit longer._

_Your words are lies, _Salsa thought. _Sweet lies, but lies all the same. _

_No they're not! _Ness asserted. _Jeff is working on figuring out where she's being kept. _

_Jeff is the person with the eye screens, right? _Salsa thought.

_Eye screens… oh yeah! That's him. We humans call them "glasses," so I was confused. _

_How is he going to find her? _Salsa asked. _This building is big. _

Jeff was going to find out where she was by accessing computer files via hacking, but Ness didn't think that Salsa would understand that.

_He's getting those screens to tell him, _Ness sent, hoping that Salsa would understand.

He didn't.

_How can screens talk? _Salsa thought.

_Um… _Ness didn't know how to explain the concept of reading.

_It's okay, though, _Salsa thought. _I trust you and this "Jeff." You two are different from other humans. Well, you two and the two friends that don't show up anymore. You know, the ones with the pink and yellow hair._

_Salsa must mean Lucas and Kumatora, _Ness thought. It shocked Ness that only four people fell under Salsa's category of "being different from other humans." Sure there were some bad people, but people were mostly good, right?

Maybe not.

_Thanks for talking to me, _Ness sent. _I have more to think about now. This machine tires me; I have to leave now. I will see how Jeff is progressing at finding Samba. Goodbye. _Ness took the mind reader helmet off, smiled at Salsa, and left.

Outside of the sleek, metallic room, Ness was confronted face to face with a ghost.

"Kumatora!" he shouted in surprise, noting her robotic parts.

_Oh my… that red eye is terrifying. _

"My memories come back," Kumatora rasped, hardly seeming to notice Ness. "Your name is Ness, correct?"

"Yes," Ness replied evenly.

He was falling back into his detached, calculated self so quickly! He mustered all of the pity that he felt for Kumatora, but emotion still refused to show on his face.

"This form is fitting," Kumatora mused. "I feel so close to death. I have _always _felt so close to death."

"Is that so…?" Ness asked, keeping his eyes pinned on Kumatora.

"You felt it to, didn't you?" Kumatora asked. "You always felt death creeping behind you!"

"No," Ness replied icily. "I felt close to emptiness."

"Death and emptiness are the same!"

"Do not be so sure," Ness replied evenly. "Both of us are empty, but neither of us are dead."

Kumatora laughed.

"True, true," she mused. "You were always able to look the darkness straight in the eye without flinching. That is admirable, Ness."

_I was able to look at darkness, but only from the outside, _Ness thought.

"This emptiness," Kumatora rasped. "How does it feel?"

"Heavy."

"Hah! Mine feels light. To give up caring about life… lifts a great burden from our shoulders."

"If we give up on life, we only have our cruel thoughts to keep us company," Ness responded. "That is the essence of heaviness."

Kumatora stared at Ness with her red, robotic eye.

"That is why you should not think," she asserted.

"I think so that I do not feel."

"Your emptiness is flawed, Ness! I will show you the true emptiness of death! I will show _everyone _the true emptiness of death!"

"You… aren't brainwashed," Ness realized out loud, not sure how he knew. "You've just died and this is all that's left. This cyborg that stands in front of me… it's still you, Kumatora, even if you have been twisted in ways that fundamentally change who you are."

Kumatora smiled, somehow looking even more terrifying.

"You are perceptive, Ness. Most people can't tell…"

"That is because there is not a large difference between the two. Didn't you kill yourself so that you wouldn't be brainwashed?"

"Yes. In fact, I still wish for an end for this suffering."

"Then why are you still alive?"

"If I die, they will just resurrect me again. It will be even more painful."

"Fly into the ocean and sink to the bottom. Nobody will find you there."

"I suppose that I could do that… but even now I know that I won't."

"So you don't want to die? What, then, are you after?"

"I do want to die, Ness! Just… not now. I just want to see the world burn with me, I guess. I want _everyone _to accept the emptiness!"

She turned and walked away, leaving Ness to his own horror.


	18. Chapter 18: Condescension and Rage

**Hey, everyone!**

**So, stuff actually happens in this chapter, which is cool. :) This one is a bit longer than usual because I moved a Ness POV from next chapter to this one. It unbalances the word count/chapter, but I figured that you guys probably don't want to be left hanging. :) I'm hoping to release one chapter every two days at most, but I'm actually getting a lot of work at this time. . I'll see what I can manage. **

**Oh, and to be clear, I WILL publish all of my chapters. Guaranteed. Well... unless I get into a position where I can't use a computer, but that probably won't happen. Like I said before, I have the rough drafts written out, so there WILL be a conclusion to this story. :)**

**Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! It's awesome to hear what you guys have to say! :D**

**Review Responses:**

**DarkFoxKit:** **Yup, Kumatora's in a pretty sorry state right now. :( I wanted to create a villain that wasn't stereotypical, and this is my result. As for Ness helping her, you'll see in this chapter that he kind of needs to help himself first. :)**

**Guest (The one that told me not to kill Ness): Hi there! :) I'm not going to say if Ness lives or dies, but he WILL NOT kill himself. I still have plenty left to do with his character...**

**PK Love**** Gamma:**** You sound so enthusiastic! It really touches me. :)**

**Huh, a lot of fanfic writers kill Lucas? I can't make any promises about who lives, though (insert evil face emoticon that this website doesn't let me actually put in for whatever reason).**

**Yeah, Duster's death didn't phase me much either. It's probably because he didn't really have a personality. Tbh, that's why I killed him off in the first place. As for Kuma doing it, I got that reaction too. Idk why, I guess I just didn't write it in a powerful way... which is fine. That wasn't really the focus of the passage. :) As for how Kuma caught Ana, I'll just say that Kumatora is VERY powerful. And with PSI users, all that she has to do is restrain their hands... it's not as difficult as it might seem to capture Ana, especially if Kumatora got a surprise attack (honestly, I didn't think of specifics when I was writing the scene xD).**

**Oh, you have migraines? I... sorta know how you feel, because I get these really bad cramps sometimes. It's not really the same because they usually come on when I'm not doing anything important, but I know how agonizing they can be. But... oh well. I mean, it's a part of you, so there's no point in raging at them, right? :) That's how I feel about my cramps, at least... And it totally feels awesome _after _the painful experience. Sometimes the joy that I get after cramping up makes me glad that I get them in the first place... is that weird? xD**

**A**** Fan: Heh, the way that Ness' character turned out is something that I'm actually pretty proud of. :) All of the philosophy stuff pretty much came out of the blue; I didn't know that he was like that until after I had written down his philosophical statements in one of my earlier chapters! xD To be honest, I picture Ness as picking up the knowledge from personal experience and then forging them into little statements, but hey, that's just me. Your interpretation is just as valuable as mine. :)**

**As for superhuman Lucas, the revelation of why is coming up pretty soon (I think). It's... honestly pretty weird, so I'm hoping that people will like it. *Sits in a corner worrying***

**-Connor (with 200% more... screw it, I've got nothing! xD) **

**JustMe. Hi: I have eye screens too! We can all be buddies! :D**

**The events in Mother 3 did not happen; multiple characters that were neutralized in Mother 3 are fine in my story and the needles are still in the ground. :) Lucas is still a bit bitter towards Flint (albeit mostly unconsciously...) because Flint and Lucas have very different personalities and Flint flat out likes Claus more.**

**And what makes you think that you talk too much? xD If you do, then I _definitely _do as well! :) **

**Guest (The one that talked about Kuma):****Okay... so apparently telling that this thing that I don't want to underline these words drops them to the next line... even though it didn't happen for all of the other times that I did that... oh, right, the review! Yup, insane Kumatora is pretty scary (I would be terrified, anyway...). I wanted to make a villain that wasn't already overdone, and I don't think that insanity of this type has been experimented much... although I'm not really a prolific reader, so I wouldn't know for sure! xD**

* * *

_Anticipatory adrenaline floods through my body._

_If the two needles in Saturn Valley and Osohe Castle are pulled, this world will be saved._

_I'm relieved by how much I care._

* * *

Ness sat curled up into a ball in the corner of his room, knowing full well just how _pathetic_ he was.

_Did I just think that I could be happy and optimistic out of the blue? Did I really think that I could escape my past so easily?_

Ness had thought that he had gotten over his depressive tendencies and philosophical detachment, but it wasn't so easy.

Nothing was ever that easy.

All that it had taken for Ness to lapse was one conversation with Kumatora. Just one! Kumatora hadn't even been antagonizing him! If that was all that it took to break Ness, then he would never be able to reforge himself.

Ness wished that he could curl up tighter, if only so that he could hide from the world that much more.

_Ninten… how do you do it?_ Ness wondered longingly._ I know that I shouldn't be here moping, but it's so hard. How can you always keep a smile on your face, even when you must feel devastated? _

Ness started crying, crying at how pathetic he had become, his tears making him that much more pathetic.

_Onett was liberated! I should be jumping for joy! _But no, he was here, crying in a corner. Crying… how low he had become!

_Wait, crying is a symbol of weakness? _Ness asked himself. _Something seems wrong with that…_

Ness thought for a few minutes.

_Lucas! _he realized. _I saw Lucas as a crybaby at first, but in the end he turned out to be the strongest of them all because of his ability to take the sorrow and cry. The fact that I'm weeping here… it means that I care like Lucas did! _

It meant that Ness _was _different from Kumatora.

At first, Ness had assumed that his sudden optimism would cure all of life's diseases. He now saw that those expectations had been unrealistic and naïve. He couldn't expect to just _become happy. _If Ness expected to always be happy and strong… situations like Kumatora talking to him would cause him to fall into depression, which was _exactly what happened. _Ness now recognized that he shouldn't aim to be perfect with his new mindset.

He simply had to aim to be _better. _

_All that matters is that I take steps forward. Large or small is irrelevant. So long as I keep moving forward… the world won't be able to break me! _

Ness let his tears flow, letting all of his sadness and depression surface. Ness cried for what Kumatora had become. Ness cried for the wretch that he had been. Ness cried for the wretch that he still was. But through the sorrow of those tears, Ness felt a certain joy…

Joy that tomorrow, he would be_ better_ than he was today.

* * *

"Where are Lucas and Paula?" Poo demanded.

"I have no idea," Claus replied in mock confusion. "Oh look. There's a note here. They must have written it. It says that they left early. What a bummer, huh?"

At this point, Poo suspected that Claus was mocking him but said nothing.

"Let us go, then," Poo said. "We do not want them to beat us to the needle."

_Are we talking about the pigmasks or Lucas and Paula?_

Claus nodded. He ate a quick breakfast, making sure to thank Ness' mother, and went outside of the house. It was still early; dew formed on the blades of grass that swayed softly in the breeze.

"PK Teleport Beta!" Poo shouted.

The world spun around Claus, making him want to hurl. Teleporting was _not _fun.

Claus materialized in a place that at first looked normal. Grass and trees were spread out and the sun shone brightly above.

Then he noticed the houses.

They were… made in a cylindrical shape (really?) with a short cone on the top, with a stupid little ribbon on top of _that. _The cylindrical base was made out of some tan material that Claus didn't recognize, while the cones were a light brown.

"Are we still on Earth?" Claus asked, not entirely joking. "Because this looks a little bit more like Mars."

Before Poo could respond, a funny little creature walked up to him. It had stubby little feet and no legs (which made Claus wonder how it balanced itself while walking…), meaning that its feet were attached to the rest of its body. It didn't have a visible mouth. Rather, it possessed a bulbous nose that must have covered half of its face. It had two whiskers on each side of its face and… wore a ribbon? _Okay… _

"Boing!" The thing said.

"What in the world is that little-" Claus started.

"Boing! I Mr. Saturn!"

_That grammar, though…_

"You speak English?" Claus asked.

"Zoom!"

"…"

"They take a little getting used to," Poo explained.

_No kidding, _Claus thought.

"I hear! I hear too! Boing!" the Mr. Saturn exclaimed.

"Oh, you can understand us?" Claus asked us in surprise.

"Yes! Ding!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think that you could."

Poo laughed mercilessly.

"You're apologizing to that thing?" He asked incredulously.

_Go die in a hole somewhere, _Claus thought.

He had tried not to hate Poo as much after the revelation in Happy Happy village, but… that kid could be so condescending!

"You should apologize too," Claus replied. "What you said was pretty rude."

"Hmph," Poo huffed. "No way that I'm going to apologize to _that thing._"

"Boing!" the Mr. Saturn sagely added.

"See, it doesn't understand," Poo said, looking down at the Mr. Saturn in pity.

"I hear!" The Mr. Saturn exclaimed. "I know! Ding!"

"If you understood, you would be mad," Poo countered.

"I know! I, Mr. Saturn, boing, can understand! I just am not mad, zoom!"

Poo laughed.

"Not mad? It's because you don't understand the implications of what I am saying."

_Geez, could you sound any haughtier when you say that? _

"Or he just doesn't care," Claus offered, not letting his annoyance show.

_That wouldn't be a bad way to live, actually… _

"I think that the thing is stupid," Poo said.

"Good for you," Claus replied, trying not to blow up.

"Boing!" the Mr. Saturn chimed in.

"The needle is past here," Poo announced. "We should spend no more time here than necessary."

"You know," Claus started, changing the subject. "Paula told me that being able to change and admit that you are wrong is important. I think that you need to work on that, Poo."

"What do you mean?" Poo asked. "I will admit that I am wrong when somebody can prove it."

"And not a second earlier, huh?" Claus replied softly.

"What does that mean? Why should I admit fault when it hasn't been proven?"

"What about when the other person says something that makes sense, even if they can't prove it?"

"I'll question my assertion then," Poo conceded, "But that rarely happens. People don't usually make sense."

"People have a reason for what they say!" Claus exclaimed, starting to lose his temper. "You just refuse to look!"

"Give me one example of that," Poo said sternly.

"Lloid," Claus responded instantly. "You said that you see him as being weak, so you treat him with contempt, right?"

Poo nodded.

"He'll deserve my respect when he is stronger," Poo said harshly.

"Have you ever stopped and considered why Lloid is weak?" Claus asked.

"No," Poo replied confidently. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that he is weak. On the battlefield, the why doesn't matter."

"What if you were told that you were worthless every day, Poo?" Claus asked.

"What does that have to do with-"

"What if your every accomplishment was subject to hate and scorn? What if you heard nothing but negative feedback? Wouldn't you start to feel that you _were _worthless eventually?"

"I guess…" Poo said hesitantly. "But if I felt that I was worthless, I would work hard to remove that label."

"Congrats," Claus announced. "You would have become a zealot like the Happy-happyists back there if you were in Lloid's position."

"What?"

"Lloid's parents are religious fanatics," Claus explained. "They used religion as an excuse to look down upon him."

"But religion condemns that!" Poo exclaimed.

"Of course it does," Claus replied to Poo's disbelief. "But these people have twisted religion so that it says anything that they want it to. They used it to look down upon Lloid. The only way that they would see him as an equal was if he adopted the same religious views as them. That would mean becoming a zealot _just like them._"

Poo's eyes widened.

"It can't be…"

"Can you see now that Lloid's choices left him in a position that isn't so bad?"

"I…" Poo shivered. "It is so hard to admit that I am wrong. You are right, Claus. I… was wrong. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to Lloid."

"Something inside of me seems inherently opposed to that prospect," Poo said, looking away. "But… I will. I have never failed to overcome a challenge before."

Claus smiled. There really was hope left for Poo.

"You look at people in such detail all of the time?" Poo asked in wonder.

"I try to," Claus replied.

_Granted, though, Lucas does a better job of it than I do. _

"How can you pass judgment when someone could always have a backstory like that?" Poo asked.

"That's why I don't want to kill people."

Poo's eyes widened again.

"I… that makes so much sense now! But… your stunt back in Happy Happy village gave us a tactical disadvantage. Will looking at everything the way that you do make me weaker?"

"You don't have to spare lives like I do. You just have to deal with the fact that you could be killing someone who is merely a product of their environment."

"How can I do that, though?" Poo asked. "I don't think that I could take the guilt."

"True strength is being able to feel that guilt and being able to deal with it. Not shove it aside and become callous, but really _deal with it._"

"I… see." Poo looked thoroughly disturbed.

By now, the Mr. Saturn had wandered away. Claus walked deeper into Saturn Valley, viewing the houses up close. They still looked weird, but… they also looked pretty cool. It was almost like he was in some sort of alien village.

Claus passed more Mr. Saturns, all of them aimlessly wandering around, spouting more babble from their obscured mouths.

_I swear, _Claus sent to Poo. _If I hear "Boing!" "Zoom!" or "Ding!" one more time, I may begin to question my own sanity. _

_Did you see the one over there? _Poo asked, pointing to a Mr. Saturn that was lying down on its back with a balloon tied to its nose.

The balloon swayed back and forth in the wind, but the Mr. Saturn didn't move an inch while it lay there.

_What the… What is it doing?_

Poo walked up to the Mr. Saturn.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Fishing for birdie, zoom!" The Mr. Saturn replied.

_That was so dumb that I feel dumber just hearing it, _Claus sent.

_I thought that you were supposed to reserve judgment at times like this, _Poo sent back.

_Yeah, well, I'm not being serious! I honestly have no problem with the way that they are living. They just seem to be enjoying life. Many people could say less._

_Well, _Poo sent hesitantly. _It doesn't really seem like they're doing anything. _

Claus cut the telepathic conversation off as Dr. Andonuts appeared from a cave located past Saturn Valley.

"You!" Claus exclaimed, pulling out his stick and holding it in a defensive stance. "What are you doing here?"

Dr. Andonuts seemed shocked by Claus' appearance.

"Claus!" Dr. Andonuts exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"I've been running for my life," Claus snarled. "Now tell me, are there more of you pigmasks lackeys?"

"I… why must you be so hostile?" Dr. Andonuts asked, his wide eyes betraying horror.

"Lucas and I almost died and Kumatora actually died because you pigmasks!" Claus roared. "And you ask me why I am hostile?"

"There must be some mistake… we pigmasks don't…" Dr. Andonuts fumbled.

"Don't give me that crap! I know all about your dirty secrets! Brainwashing, cyborgs…"

"What? I know nothing of such practices!" Dr. Andonuts exclaimed. "We pigmasks are peaceful…"

"You mean besides the killing, fascism, and imperialism?" Claus asked venomously.

"No…" Dr. Andonuts whispered, mostly to himself. "It can't be…"

Suddenly, Fassad emerged from the cave, kept aloft by his jetpack.

"You!" Fassad snarled, his trumpets producing a painful noise.

"Oh, it's _so nice to see you again,_" Claus said with a sneer. "I see that you're a cyborg too. How's life going? Or undeath, as it may be?"

"Life is more painful than you can possibly imagine!" Fassad bellowed. "And you… I will kill you!"

Claus laughed cruelly.

"You will never be able to kill me! Your life has been nothing but a failure, so the pigmasks resurrected you for the sole purpose of comedic relief. This will just be a warm up for me!"

Fassad roared and charged at Claus, who barely managed to dart out of the way.

_We can kill this one, right? _Poo sent.

_Hell, yeah! _Claus replied as he shot out PK Love.

Fassad used a variety of attacks, from throwing bombs to blasting distracting music to protecting himself with a shield. However, it was soon clear that he was outclassed by the two PSI kids. Poo's starstorm and Claus' PK Love were both devastating. Eventually, Fassad abandoned defense and went all out aggressive on Claus. Poo responded by shifting to defense and healing Claus.

"You will pay for what you did to Lucas and Kumatora!" Claus shouted, completely lost in his rage.

"You don't care about the other one?" Fassad asked.

_Oh, that's right! Ninten is dead too. _

"I never knew Ninten," Claus admitted. "But I think that he will enjoy watching you die again!"

Claus _smashed _Fassad with all of his might, letting his anger boil over.

"You bastard!" Claus screamed. "You have no idea how much I want to _hurt _you!"

"You are a hypocrite!" Fassad roared. "You… put your actions on a pedestal, but you kill for the same reason that I do: hate."

_He's just trying to trick you! _A part of Claus' mind said, but the other part secretly agreed with Fassad. Claus shouldn't want to _kill _someone!

Fight first, think later. Claus threw out a PK Love attack, synchronized with another PK Starstorm from Poo. Fassad nearly crumpled on the spot.

"Help me!" he shouted in alarm.

"There's nobody that would help a miserable rat like _you,_" Claus snarled venomously. "Your kind should just kill yourself to save us the trouble!"

_Something isn't right! _A part of Claus mind cried out. _I shouldn't have to be so angry to fight!_

"Help… please…" Fassad moaned.

"Die!" Claus shouted and used PK Love Gamma, his most powerful attack.

Furious red hexagons flew from Claus mind and relentlessly bombarded Fassad, beating him after he was clearly dead. Claus smiled triumphantly.

"You… are scary," Poo said, his eyes wide with horror. "All of what you told me… it seems that you have something to work on as well."

That assessment was accurate enough to make Claus sober.

_Is it wrong to be angry at Fassad?_ Claus wondered._ No, it isn't. It's not wrong to kill him either. But… it is wrong to kill just to satisfy that anger. If I kill him, it should be because I need to, not because I want to. _

Claus nodded.

"He caused the death of someone very important to me," Claus explained. "Still, I shouldn't have lost myself in rage. Thank you for reminding me of that."

Poo nodded, accepting the explanation.

"Err…" Poo said to the Mr. Saturns nearby, seeing the wreckage of his PK Starstorm. "Sorry about that."

"Boing! Not your fault. Is ok. We rebuild."

Poo smiled sincerely.

"Thank you," he said.

_Aw, that's sweet, _Claus thought. He looked over and saw Dr. Andonuts cowering near one of the houses that was still standing.

Claus strode over casually.

"No cyborgs, huh?" Claus asked, unable to feel anything but exhaustion.

"I… honestly didn't know that he was in there," Dr. Andonuts pleaded. "I… see that what I have created can be used for the purposes of destruction. I will no longer work for Porky."

Claus smiled.

"See, all that you needed to do was look a little closer."

Dr. Andonuts still seemed anxious.

"I… fear that I may have caused more damage, though," he started. "With the help of the Mr. Saturns, I was able to create a psionic ooze that can be used as armor. It can make someone practically invincible… and I shipped some of it back to New Pork!"

Dr. Andonuts covered his face in shame.

"Well, there's nothing to be done about that now," Claus said, but on the inside he was terrified.

Even if they managed to pull the majority of the needles and the world was saved, they would still lose of Porky was able to engulf the entire world in his empire. Now it appeared that he had the tools to do just that. _Terrifying…_

"Did you say that the Mr. Saturns helped you make that ooze?" Poo asked.

"Yes," Dr. Andonuts replied. "They can be quite productive when they put their mind to it, and they possess a level of intelligence that surpasses that of us humans."

"Wow," Poo said. "Even though they're carefree, they can accomplish so much… that ooze does not sound easy to make."

"I think that I should pull the needle before we talk further," Claus asserted.

"Oh, it's in the cave back there," Dr. Andonuts responded, pointing at the cave that he had come from.

"Thanks," Claus said and walked into the cave.

The needle was sitting right inside.

_This feels so easy… I guess that Lucas will probably have it harder in Osohe Castle… _

Claus pulled the needle, making sure to step away to avoid getting burns. He walked out of the cave, letting hope rise though his heart.

_If Lucas succeeds, we will already have pulled the majority of the needles! _

"I pulled the needle," Claus told Poo. "Should we leave now?"

Poo nodded.

"Dr. Andonuts is going with us," he said simply.

"I have no objections there," Claus replied with a smile.

Poo returned a half-smile and started to use his teleport ability.

* * *

Kumatora watched Claus warp away from behind one of the houses. Fassad had called for help… her help… should she have given her aid?

No.

Kumatora had to believe that. She would not hinder Claus in his quest. Maybe if he could prove that life did have its uses… maybe then Kumatora wouldn't feel like she had to show humanity the true meaning of death.

_Life is beautiful, _Claus had said.

_When you kill someone, is there a voice that screams in horror? _Ana had asked.

Those two sentences had haunted Kumatora. It made her uncertain… and this test would prove life's worth one way or the other. Whenever she looked at the project logically, she reverted to her original line of thinking. Everyone was going to die eventually, so shouldn't everyone learn to embrace it? An apocalypse might show people the truth of the matter: there's nothing anyone can do to prevent death. Kumatora wanted _so badly _for people to understand that…

But something still nagged her. How had Claus managed to strike the tree in the _exact right way _with his PK Thunder? That move couldn't be aimed at all! And yet somehow Claus had managed to direct it with impossible accuracy. It was almost as if Claus had tapped into some kind of greater force by hanging onto his life.

Kumatora shook her head. She walked out from her hiding place, not provoking a reaction from any of the Mr. Saturns. Approaching Fassad's corpse, she felt a sense of contempt.

_He of all people should have accepted death! But he called out for my help… why does he hang onto this painful existence? _

The agony of the flesh under her robotic parts that each heartbeat brought taught her never to forget the pain. Surely Fassad felt the same pain, so why did he try to hang on?

_Revenge, _Kumatora realized. _Claus bested him by escaping, so he wanted revenge. _

It felt so petty, so… human.

Shaking her head once more in wonder, Kumatora picked up Fassad's corpse and flew away.


	19. Chapter 19: Faith

**Hi again! :D **

**I decided to release these two chapters at the same time because this one doesn't have much plot stuff (and the next one does)... I think that these ones are ready, even though they're not as thoroughly edited as some of the others. Tell me if I'm wrong! :)**

**Also, religion alert (in case the title of the chapter wasn't enough)! Yeah, there's more religion talk in this one. I don't think that it's that bad, honestly, but if you're offended by religion you can just skip to the line break after the first part of the chapter (which is quite long). The religion talk isn't really part of the plot this time; it's just a way to flesh out Paula's character because religion is a huge part of her identity.**

**Oh yeah, and this one is a bit shorter because the Ness part from last time was originally in this chapter. But I'm releasing two chapters, so no complaining, all right? ;)**

**Review Responses:**

**A Fan:**** Hey, thanks for the constructive criticism! After reading the section where Claus talks to Poo about his stubbornness, I totally got what you mean! I think that a sudden change in mindset can work for Poo, but it either needs to be accompanied by a dramatic event or internal monologue. I found less of a problem with Dr. Andonuts because he's a bit wishy-washy to begin with, but I do think that I could have done that better. :) I'm too lazy to go back and rewrite it, but I have a scene where another character changes mindsets (you know me, of course I do! :D), so I'll look at those and see how I can make those better. :)**

**From what little I know about CD-i Zelda games, It's probably not a good thing that you were reminded of them. xD On a more serious note, Kumatora's character is largely inspired by Ganondorf from Wind Waker. I remember when Ganondorf talks right before you fight him about a wind of death that he longs for. I realized that he's stuck in his own shallow view of what life should be like (in this case, an intense struggle in the Gerudo Desert), which was really his ultimate downfall. Sound familiar? ;)**

**And yeah, I totally agree with you about Kumatora. But she doesn't understand that about herself. :(**

**The Ness philosophy scenes usually pop out of thin air haha. I hardly made any edits to the last one that I wrote... two weeks ago? It seems so much longer than that haha.**

**Sure, I can gather up those cryptic little messages and put them in one convenient location! I think that I can even do it as part of the story, if I work at it...**

**And yes, I do plan to write fanfiction after finishing this (that's why I'm so eager to finish this one up)!**

**PK Love Gamma:** **Hey, it's okay! I understood what you meant. :) **

**Heh, Fassad is pretty easy to hate. For some reason, though, I never really want bad guys to die, IRL or in books/video games. Don't get me wrong, I like to see justice and all of that idealistic crap, but I just don't like to watch people die, even if they are despicable. I dunno what that makes me, but... yeah. **

**Yeah, I did notice how Salsa and the bubble monkey look similar, but I always passed it up as a coincidence (after all, there aren't really any other monkeys in those games). I read about some theory that Lloid is Dr. Andonuts, but that doesn't make sense to me because of the time difference between Mother and Earthbound (20 years). Still, it is interesting! :)**

**Guest:**** Yeah, Claus going overboad was kind of the point. The dude has a lot of built up resentment, and that makes him pretty dangerous. :( **

**Thanks for the compliment about Ness! He's one of my favorite characters, so it's nice to find other people that like him. :)**

**Yeah, Blegh Poo isn't all that much fun but I had to find some way to differentiate him from all of my other characters (and am I the only one who thinks that all of that spiritual creepy Dalaam stuff that he had to go through would be more destructive than helpful?). And yes, Kumatora is a pretty awesome stalker. :)**

**FalconerET:**** I didn't remember the Mr. Saturns saying "Dakota" (it's been a while since I've played Earthbound). Screw you for not telling me about that, Eartbound Wiki! ;) And yeah, Mr. Saturns are pretty content being weird in general. xD **

**And yeah, I give my characters a lot to think about. Sometimes ****_too _****much to think about. I actually have this struggle with Claus where he doesn't want to think much but I have all of this stuff that I want him to think about. xD**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:**** Hey, don't feel bad about not reviewing! :) I understand that people have lives and need to be lazy sometimes. ;)**

**I didn't really find it funny that Claus was hypocritical, but I'm glad that you did! I always love seeing readers coming up with new interpretations. When I publish my story, it seems to morph into a polyhedron that can be rotated and viewed in different ways from different angles... oh man, I'm sounding like Ness, huh? xD A lot of Ness' philosophy comes directly from me, so I guess that kind of natural.**

**Speaking of Ness, It's great to hear that you like his character! He's one of my favorites. :)**

**I won't say much about Kumatora's future, but I will reveal that it is somewhat satisfying and not horribly depressing.**

**JustMe. Hi:**** Heh, I'm not going to say anything about who lives and who dies. I'm evil, sorry! :D**

**Haha, three people in the eye screen gang and one of the doesn't actually exist? Sounds awesome! :)**

* * *

_Sometimes I wonder why religion is such a touchy subject._

_I think I know the answer. As humans, we make religion part of our identity. When people disagree with our religion, it is seen as disagreeing with who we are._

_Still, though..._

_I can't decide if that touchiness is justified or not._

* * *

"Now, it's time to pray," Flint said as he, Lucas, and Paula entered the sunlit, stone cathedral that must have been around for centuries.

Lucas fidgeted uncomfortably as Flint went up to the altar to pray. Lucas had been religious… until his mother had died. After that, the world had seemed too dark to be protected by god. Lucas knew that it wasn't a good reason to stop praying, thus the discomfort he currently felt, but… he couldn't force himself to pray anymore. Not sincerely, at least.

Flint finished and Paula stepped up to the altar to offer a prayer. Lucas' discomfort increased. He didn't want to antagonize his father, but… a part of him was inherently opposed to praying, and that part couldn't be reasoned with. Finally, it was Lucas' turn.

"Lucas, go up and offer a prayer," Flint commanded softly.

Boney barked in what seemed like agreement.

"I… can't," Lucas replied, flinching in anticipation. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?" Flint asked, eyes narrowing in concern and disappointment.

"I… lost heart for it after mother died," Lucas managed weakly.

"You're blaming god for mother's death?" Flint demanded harshly.

"No, but…"

"Then why not pray?" Flint asked sternly.

_You just don't understand! _Lucas wanted to shout. _You've never understood who I am!_

Lucas felt like he was suffocating from anxiety. He wanted to escape this religion talk, but it didn't look like there was a way out… Lucas looked into his father's eyes and flinched at the level of disappointment that they carried.

"If this is a family matter, I apologize for interrupting," Paula interrupted, "But I don't think that you should force Lucas to offer a prayer if he doesn't want to."

"What?" Flint asked in surprise, clearly not used to being talked to in such a way by a child. "Why?"

"Religion is about helping people, right?" Paula asked. Flint nodded. "Religion isn't helping Lucas right now. Can't you see how anxious he is?"

"I…" Flint looked at Lucas, who offered a weak shrug.

"He feels that he's being pressured into doing something that he doesn't agree with," Paula explained. "That's not how religion should make people feel."

"I see what you're saying, but Lucas should still pray," Flint argued. "He's on a dangerous quest. He needs all of the help that he can get from god."

"I agree that Lucas needs all of the help that he can get," Paula conceded, "But… if Lucas is forced to pray, I don't think that it will be sincere."

She turned to Lucas.

"Is that right?" Paula asked with a supportive smile, her friendly eyes meeting Lucas' own.

"Yes," Lucas replied weakly. "After mother died… the world became so _dark. _I wanted to ask god for help, but deep inside of me, I didn't really believe that he would do anything about it. I tried to pray multiple times, but it always felt… hollow."

"Lucas!" Flint replied, aghast at Lucas' flight of faith.

"See?" Paula asked, turning back to Flint. "If you try to force Lucas to pray, you'll just be wasting everyone's time. I don't know about you, but I don't think that god answers prayers that lack heart."

"I suppose," Flint conceded. "But… what do I do? I can't just let him abandon god!"

"Honestly, there's nothing that you can do if he does abandon god," Paula replied bluntly. "And if Lucas chooses that path, good for him. Maybe he'll be able to find happiness in this world in other ways."

Flint's eyes boggled in surprise. It wasn't every day that someone said that atheism was perfectly fine, at least in Tazmily.

"But what you can do is encourage and persuade," Paula continued. "Don't pressure him, of course, but really _encourage. _That's all that you can do."

Flint nodded.

"I didn't know that you had started losing your faith, Lucas," Flint said, sympathy finally creeping into his voice. "That must have been rough for you."

Lucas nodded weakly.

"Mr. Flint, I was wondering if you would let me try to talk to Lucas?" Paula offered with a half-smile. "I don't mean to brag, I have quite a bit of experience in this area."

"Sure, go ahead," Flint replied, backing away in concession.

Paula walked up to Lucas and looked him straight in the eye, the same supportive smile on her face.

"Not everything about religion makes you comfortable, does it?" she asked. "The fire and brimstone speeches don't speak to you, do they?"

"Yeah, they don't," Lucas replied. "I always felt that I shouldn't just be religious just because hell sucks. If I wanted to be religious, it should be because I _want _to be."

Paula's smile widened, her attention fully fixated on Lucas' words. For the first time in a long time, Lucas felt that he was talking to someone who would really _listen. _It felt better than he would have expected.

"I thought so," Paula replied. "But the thing is, religion means something different for everyone. Maybe that part of religion doesn't speak to you. Heck, maybe you don't believe that god interferes with the world below and only exists to provide judgment in the afterlife. That's fine."

"If I were to believe that, why would I pray?" Lucas asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, to tell god that you care," Paula replied. "Even if you don't think that it's going to do anything, it's important to show that what you're praying about really means something to you."

"Hmm… I've never thought about it that way before," Lucas replied. "But Paula, what if I'm not sure if god is even listening? What reason do I have to pray then?"

"Lucas, what makes you _you?_" Paula questioned as a response.

"I…"

What did make him who he was?

"There are so many things that contribute to your identity, right?" Paula asked. "So many that you can't just name one thing."

Lucas nodded.

"Externalize those things, Lucas," Paula said softly. "If there's something that you care dearly about, say it! When you pray, go through the things that you really care about. That will help you maintain your sense of identity. You don't have to say it just so that god listens, you can say it so that _you _listen! Praying allows you to gather your thoughts and reinforce what life is really about. We need to have that clarity where we're going, Lucas. And hey, if god's listening, that's just icing on the cake!"

Lucas blinked, surprised by Paula's arguments. _It's okay to pray just so that I can sort through my thoughts verbally? _That made Lucas much more inclined to be sincere. And if he was sincere… god would be more likely to answer his prayers, if he was really out there!

"Also," Paula added. "I personally believe that everyone who prays becomes connected with each other. I think of it as a… spiritual web, where the strings between the points are the connections between us. But that's just me."

_Praying to connect ourselves to the rest of the world… _That also seemed nice, although Lucas was less sure of the truth behind Paula's "spiritual web."

But that didn't matter. He could still respect her beliefs, even if he didn't fully agree.

"Thank you," Lucas said to Paula. "That helped me more than you can know."

"And thank you for explaining your beliefs to me," Flint added, looking at Paula appreciatively. "It's nice hearing someone talk about their lives for a change."

"You're welcome," Paula replied with a sweet smile. "Coming from a religious family, I spend a lot of time thinking about stuff like this. I had a conversation like this with my cousin Lloid, who also started to lose his faith after he discovered how much his parents used religion to hurt him."

Lucas shook his head in wonder.

"You're an angel, Paula," he said. "Could you be any more perfect?"

"Oh, trust me, I have plenty of flaws," Paula responded sheepishly. "I… just am well versed in this particular topic. Ask Ness about all of my faults sometime. He _loves _to go off on that. Oh, and if you do see Ness, tell him that I said hi."

"Sure thing!" Lucas said with a smile, stepping up to the pedestal.

He was determined to pray sincerely. Lucas sighed, releasing all of his pent up anxiety.

"I… know that I haven't prayed in a while," Lucas whispered so that only he could hear. "And… I still feel bad about it, but I figured that I shouldn't waste my time doing something halfheartedly. I hope that's all right. If you're up there, I want to thank you for sending Paula to talk to me. It… really helped me out. I can see it now. All of the things that I care about, Boney, Claus, father, afternoons in the pool, feeling a gentle breeze blow away all of my worries, I have to hang onto those. Because… I can't let Porky take my identity away from me! So please… don't let me become one of the milky-eyed people in the slums of New Pork who can't force themselves to care about anything. Don't let me become a mindless machine. Please…"

Lucas stepped down from the altar, feeling refreshed. Paula was right; it really did feel good to let all of that out. Flint was smiling at Lucas, which send a warm, fuzzy feeling through his heart.

"Let's go and pull the needle, Lucas," Paula said.

"Of course," Lucas responded with an enthusiastic grin.

* * *

_So this is Osohe castle, _Paula thought, looking at the imposing stone castle standing right in front of her and Lucas._ It looks so… empty. _

That shouldn't have surprised Paula, though. All of Tazmily felt barren.

"Do you think that Claus and Poo have pulled the needle yet?" Lucas wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Paula replied. "It seems likely, though; Saturn Valley isn't a hostile place. They shouldn't have much trouble locating the needle."

"That's good," Lucas replied, seeming relieved. "Claus can be a bit… reckless. I'm not sure I trust him without someone like you to talk sense into him."

Paula was touched by Lucas' words. She had always tried to be the voice of reason, and it felt _awesome _to get recognition for it.

"I think that Claus was 100 percent wrong about you being broken, Lucas," Paula said suddenly. "The fact that you can worry about him even though our situation is more dangerous shows that you're whole. If you really were shattered, you would be caught up in the struggles of your own world."

"Thanks, but…" Lucas stood there, contemplating. "This is kind of new."

"Hmm…?"

"I think that I was wrapped in my own world earlier. But after seeing two people that I knew just… die, my low self-esteem didn't seem to matter as much."

_So Lucas' hardships strengthened him while Lloid's caused him to break. What's the difference? _

"What you felt must have threatened to destroy you," Paula said.

"I… don't actually think so," Lucas replied. "It's weird. I felt incredibly sad, of course, but… it never really got close to breaking me. Not like mother's death did."

_I wonder why that is… _

"Did those deaths motivate you to take action?" Paula asked.

Lucas thought for a moment and nodded.

"I felt that I had to live to pass their story on. Their deaths made me want to _live _that much more."

"That's the difference!" Paula exclaimed. "Their deaths gave you a purpose, an enemy. That's why you didn't break like Lloid did. But… that still isn't how it works with everyone. Some people would become bitter and spiteful. Why didn't you?"

"I guess I'm just not that kind of person," Lucas replied. "I hate Fassad for what he did to us, but… there's no point in flying into a rage."

_Interesting… _

Paula had to cut her thought short as a cannon-like shot sounded. Paula looked at Lucas, her eyes widening. They ran back to the drawbridge and saw a couple dozen pigmasks advancing, a tank rounding out the rear. They were alarmingly close to the castle. The pigmasks and the tank fired heavy shots at Lucas and Paula.

"Come on!" Lucas shouted as he dragged her behind one of the thick, stone walls.

"Sorry," Paula said, kicking herself. She had _never _hesitated before in battle. "It won't happen again."

"That doesn't matter now," Lucas replied. "We can't waste much time talking. Let's go fight these hogs!"

"You should look for the needle," Paula asserted. "I can take the pigmasks."

"You don't have PK Lifeup," Lucas argued. "If you take damage, you have no way of healing yourself."

"I have plenty of food," Paula responded. "Just give me a few buffs and I'll be fine."

Lucas looked thoughtful for a second and then nodded.

_Phew, anyone else that I know would have argued more, _Paula thought.

The way Lucas was treating her was quite refreshing. For some reason, most people though that Paula shouldn't engage in any difficult activities, despite the fact that she wanted to prove herself just as much as they did. Ness had always been the worst with that.

"Offense up omega!" Lucas shouted, using the PSI ability. "Defense up omega! Counter omega! Refresh!"

_How does he know all of those PSI abilities?_ Paula asked herself. _They aren't cheap either… I hope that he's conserving some of his power. _

Lucas turned and ran into the castle. Paula smiled.

Now it was her time to shine.

* * *

Lucas ran through the dark, empty halls of Osohe Castle, hearing his footsteps echo on the stone floor. He had a vague idea of where the needle was. Lucas ran up stairways without slowing, knowing that every second that he wasted was a second that Paula was alone without the support of a PSI healer. Similar to the cave leading to Giant's Step in Onett, Lucas barely registered the scenery. He found the door that he was looking for and swung it open.

The door led to a courtyard outside, completely surrounded by the castle. Lucas saw the golden, radiant needle… In the hands of the masked man, who had already pulled it from the earth. The needle shone brilliantly as the masked man released his grip on it. It fell to the ground, rolling towards Lucas.

_NO! _Lucas shouted to himself. _No… I failed. If Claus fails as well… _The world would end, and there would be nothing that Lucas could do about it.

_I can take out the foe in front of me, though. _

If Lucas could kill the masked man, Porky wouldn't have anyone left to pull the needles.

_I'm sorry, Paula, but I may be delayed a bit longer than you expect… _

Lucas charged at the masked man, his stick in both hands. The masked man raised his brilliant orange sword in reply.


	20. Chapter 20: A Twist of Fate

**Ch. 20! Woot woot!**

**Oh, I published chapters 19 and 20 at the same time, so go read ch. 19 first if you haven't already. :)**

**Anyways, this one gets a bit... weird. I'm hoping that it's a good weird, but I'm not sure... Things may get confusing, but they will make sense in the end, I promise!**

**Oh and after this, the focus is going to switch back to New Pork. I have some stuff planned that I hope you all will like! :)**

* * *

_I am feeling déjà vu._

_Everything in this world… is unfolding like it did in mine._

_I'm not sure if that's a good sign or a bad one._

* * *

Paula peeked around the stone wall of Osohe Castle, prompting the pigmasks to fire. Paula ducked back behind the wall, not fazed in the slightest. She would play this game if the pigmasks wanted to. After all, she only had to stall until Lucas was able to come back. It shouldn't be long by now…

More lasers whizzed by Paula, each of them sizzling as they hit the stone castle behind her.

_Will they run out of ammunition? _Paula wondered.

She could only hope that they would, although the prospect seemed doubtful. If they were to run out of ammo soon, they would likely be more conservative with their shots. The bolts appeared to be made out of energy, meaning that the guns likely ran on battery power.

Paula risked another glance around the stone wall and saw that the pigmask legion was drawing nearer.

_I have to do something! _Paula thought in panic.

She didn't want to hurt the pigmasks, but… it didn't appear that there was another choice. A shot hit Paula, bouncing off of her and slamming into the pigmask that shot it due to Lucas' counter. Paula was still hurt by the shot, but not by much. Additionally, she soon felt the damage heal.

_That must be the refresh ability… thank you so much for those buffs, Lucas! _

"PK Fire gamma!" Paula reluctantly shouted.

Fire sprouted from the earth beneath the front line of the pigmasks. Paula watched in horror as the flames engulfed about a dozen pigmasks, dancing and cackling in cruel delight.

_I hope that I didn't kill them! _

Killing them would probably be justified, but Paula wanted to minimize the death toll as much as possible.

_We cling onto life, but at what point does that inhibit other people's ability to live? _Paula wondered.

True, the pigmasks were the enemy and likely had been verbally brainwashed by their fascist government, meaning that they would be willing to perform atrocious acts. But still… Something about killing dozens of people just so that one could live seemed _wrong_.

Paula watched as the other pigmasks run away, squealing in terror. It broke Paula's heart to see so many people terrified of her, but she reminded herself that they were the ones that attacked first. While the pigmask infantry turned and ran, the tank remained vigilant, slowly advancing towards Osohe Castle.

_I have to do something about that tank! _

But how could she hurt it? The heavy armor plating meant that she wouldn't be able to charge at it anytime soon, with or without Lucas' buffs. She looked down at her frying pan, the only weapon that she carried.

_Yeah, facing that thing head on would not be a good idea. _

She had to use PSI to defeat or at least stall this engine of war.

_Hmm… I don't think that PK Freeze will do much. PK Fire…? No, that wouldn't be efficient either. Wait… all of the armor is made of steel! _

Paula knew immediately what she had to do. She dove behind the wall once more and used PK Thunder gamma, not bothering to try to aim it. All of the lightning hit the tank straight on.

_Hah! Steel draws lightning! _

The tank stopped moving.

_Oh… I may have killed the people driving the tank. _

The thought sent a sick feeling through Paula's stomach.

_It's so easy to kill people by using PSI, _she thought. _No shame, no guilt. You just move your hands, say the words, and… focus. _

How many people would die from a callous person with such abilities?

"So, the forsaken one has brought an ally," Paula heard from above.

A cyborg girl with metallic plating over the top right part of her face, a neck brace, and a robotic arm flew down from the walls of Osohe Castle, landing smoothly with the assistance of a jetpack. Paula felt a chill rush down her spine at the sight of the cruel, black axe that she carried in her human hand. An axe…

"Are you… Kumatora?" Paula asked.

Had Claus really known this person before she had died and been resurrected? With her standing here in front of Paula, it was hard to imagine this person any other way. That synthetic red eye of hers was _horrifying._

"Yes," Kumatora rasped in reply. "You can use PSI. I suppose that I should capture you."

Something about how Kumatora spoke made the hair on Paula's neck stand up. She seemed so… matter-of-fact. It was terrifying.

_This person is no longer human, _Paula realized bleakly.

* * *

The masked man was surprisingly weak. He attacked Lucas in predictable ways, allowing Lucas to nimbly dart away each time. Lucas slammed his stick into the masked man's side, causing his mysterious adversary to reel.

_Can I kill this person? _Lucas wondered. _Can I really kill another human being, even if they are empty inside?_

_I don't know, _a voice in Lucas' mind responded. _Can you? _

_Voice? _Lucas asked, startled by the abrupt message. _Is that you? _

Lucas still acutely remembered when a voice in his mind that simply called itself "Voice" had talked to Lucas after Duster died. That… was not an easy experience to forget.

_Yes,_ Voice replied._ Oh man, this is rough to watch. It brings back so many memories… _

_No offense, _Lucas replied, _but I don't really have time for idle chitchat._

_Hmm? So you want me to help you again? _Voice asked.

_Again? _Lucas thought in confusion.

_Yeah. You know, when I helped you fight Ness._

_That… was you? _Lucas asked incredulously.

_It sure as hell wasn't you, kid. Did you think that you had taken down Ness by sheer instinct? _

_No, _Lucas replied. _In fact, that confused me quite a bit… And don't call me "kid!"_

_Okay, captain. _

Lucas sighed. He had no idea that insanity could be so _annoying. _But was he really going insane? After all, he had beaten Ness with no prior experience in fighting. Perhaps this "Voice" was some sort of ethereal power source that just happened to be a pain in the neck… but that notion was absurd. A voice inside of Lucas' head as a power source? Ridiculous… but Lucas couldn't deny that he had been getting strange powers lately.

_I guess if you have advice for fighting this person, I'd welcome it, _Lucas thought, deciding that he had nothing to lose by talking to Voice.

_Advice? I was thinking about something more hands-on. _

Suddenly, Lucas lashed out at the masked man with his stick, tripping his adversary and assaulting him with a brutal barrage of attacks that even Lucas couldn't follow.

_See? _Voice asked. _That kid's an amateur. _

_You… can take control of my body? _Lucas asked in horror.

_Well, you can resist it if you really want to, but I wouldn't advise that in a life or death situation. I did this while you were fighting Ness. Did you really not notice?_

_What the hell? _Lucas asked. _You can control my body?_

_Err… didn't I just say that I could?_

_…I don't know how to feel about having another person being able to pilot my body, _Lucas thought.

_I feel your pain, bro._

_…I'm not your bro._

_Just an expression, bro. _

Lucas sighed, taking the back seat as this mysterious "Voice" systematically beat the living crap out of the masked man. Lucas had to hand it to Voice, all of his strikes were on point and he never got hit by the masked man's attacks. He made the masked man look like a clown. In fact, the whole fight in the stagnant courtyard looked like a circus act, where Voice provided the talent while the masked man provided the humor.

_Too easy, _Voice said proudly as he smashed the masked man in the face.

_How long did it take you to perfect your battle style? _Lucas asked.

_I dunno. A couple of years, maybe? PSI helps with stuff like that. _

_You know PSI? _Lucas asked incredulously.

_Are you surprised by everything?_

_I'm surprised that a voice in my head can use psionic attacks!_

_Eh, PSI is all in your mind. You don't even need a physical body to be able to use it._

Voice continued to drive Lucas' body well, his relentless attacks bringing the masked man to his knees in exhaustion. As the masked man weakened, Lucas felt a strange sensation. It was almost like… he was floating away from his own body.

_What are you doing to me? _Lucas accused.

_Hmm? I'm fighting the masked man. I can stop, if you like._

_Don't play dumb! _Lucas shouted. _Why are you making me feel like I'm being driven away from my own body? You're trying to take over, aren't you?_

_No…_

_Don't lie!_

_So hasty… I honestly have no idea what you're… wait. Could it be?_

_What? _Lucas asked.

_No, _Voice told himself. _It can't be! All of this time…_

_What? _Lucas demanded again.

_It makes so much sense now! That's why you're here, in this body!_

_What in the world do you mean? _Lucas asked, exasperated at Voice's antics.

_Let's run, _Voice said suddenly.

_What? Why would we run?_

_We can't let the masked man die! _Voice exclaimed.

_Err… why? _Lucas asked.

_There's no time to explain! _

As Lucas' body turned to run, a jolt of lightning struck him… and was reflected at the masked man. Lucas turned back to see the masked man's oddly wistful face staring at him. The masked man sighed and closed his eyes while still kneeling, as if he was going to sleep.

_The Franklin Badge! _Voice exclaimed. _It reflected the lightning attack back at the masked man! It's happening again!_

* * *

Paula realized that she couldn't run. The jetpack that Kumatora wore would allow her to chase Paula wherever she went. She looked down at the frying pan that she carried. It was a pitiful weapon, but it was _hers. _Paula held it up and ran towards Kumatora, who laughed in response.

"What do you think that measly little appliance is going to do?" Kumatora asked.

As Paula neared Kumatora, the cyborg leisurely hacked at Paula, catching her in the face… which was exactly what Paula wanted. Lucas' counter caused Kumatora to take half of the damage of the attack, sending her flying back.

"PK Freeze Omega!" Paula shouted.

Ice encased Kumatora, quickly shattering and inflicting serious wounds.

"It looks like you have a little bit of fight in you, rat!" Kumatora snarled and flew towards Paula, impossibly fast.

Kumatora kicked Paula in the face, dealing minimal damage but causing Lucas' psionic counter shield to break. Kumatora then smashed Paula's face once more with the full force of her axe, dealing enough damage to kill.

Paula, however, was not fazed.

"PK Freeze Omega!" She shouted again, injuring Kumatora further. _She should go down soon, _Paula reasoned.

Even Ness couldn't take two PK Freeze Omegas, and he had enough endurance to make a bear jealous.

"Why aren't you dying?" Kumatora demanded, prompting a superior smile from Paula.

Paula could feel her body slowly healing. _That's what refresh does! _Paula confirmed, recalling when Lucas had used the ability on her. _It heals me little by little, so as long as I put up a decent psionic stall, it will always keep me alive! _

Paula looked at Kumatora, who didn't seem to be taking any more damage, indicating that she wasn't using psionic stall to make herself seem healthier than she really was. Paula wasn't sure how Kumatora was still standing, but she knew that she had to make a gamble.

_God be with me, _she thought as she took a deep breath in anticipation.

Paula approached Kumatora, getting in range to use her frying pan. However, instead of fighting with a kitchen tool, she decided to rely on her PSI.

"PK Fire Omega! PK Thunder Omega!" Paula had to hope that Kumatora had developed a resistance to PK Freeze and would be defeated by Paula's other PSI abilities.

However, that hope was in vain. Kumatora hardly noticed as lightning fried her and fire roasted her flesh.

"Lucas hasn't told you his secret, has he?" Kumatora asked, her blue, human iris alight with rage.

"What?" Paula replied.

_Lucas has a secret that's serious enough that Kumatora is talking about it in the middle of the fight?_

"I didn't think so," Kumatora rasped. "Lucas is trying to stop us and merely _neglects _to mention that he has discovered something more dangerous than brainwashing _or_ undead cyborgs."

"You lie!" Paula exclaimed as she fired off another PK Freeze.

Kumatora sent back a PK Freeze of her own.

_She can use offensive PSI? _

Paula shrugged the pain off, feeling herself drop close to a black unconsciousness before Refresh healed her.

"I suppose Lucas hasn't told you that he knows things that he shouldn't," Kumatora mused as she hacked at Paula's face. "Maybe you should ask him about that if you live."

Paula snarled and fired off more PK Freezes as Kumatora continued to slash at Paula and fire off PSI of her own.

_I just have to wait until she runs out of life, _Paula told herself. _She'll try to use PK Lifeup, and then I can interrupt it the way that Ness taught me. _

She just had to hold out with Refresh until then.

"Why are you still standing?" Kumatora rasped in frustration.

_I could ask the same thing about you, _Paula thought. Kumatora looked severely damaged but refused to go down.

Just a little bit more…

Paula fired off still more PK Freezes, her psionic energy running low.

Just a little bit more…

Paula flinched in pain when Kumatora's axe struck her yet again.

Just a little bit more…

Refresh ran out.

_NO! _Paula thought, feeling herself flail helplessly in desperation. _No, please… it can't end this way! _

The last thing that she remembered was hearing Kumatora's triumphant snarl as the world around her went black.

* * *

Lucas felt that he was being torn away from his body.

He didn't know how else to describe it. Without knowing why or how, he desperately tried to hang onto his own body with his incorporeal spirit arms, not aware of who or what he was. He couldn't float away! That was all that mattered.

The masked man fell forward, helmet falling off. Lucas saw the face under the helmet and cried out in surprise and terror.

For the masked man's face was his own.

Just lying there with his eyes closed in front of Lucas was himself.

_How… why… how… what? _

For a moment, Lucas forgot how to think.

_You killed yourself, kid, _Voice said. _I'm sorry. I truly am. Oh! Kumatora's prediction! She said that you would die, and it turns out that you killed yourself. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry._

Lucas's spirit fell further away from his body.

_No! _Lucas exclaimed. _I won't let it end like this! I have so much more to do… _

_You don't have a choice, _Voice whispered. _This is my body. The person that I killed was you._

_WHAT?_

_You were brainwashed by Porky, _Voice explained._ Your spirit must have fled my body and usurped mine. I'm not sure how, but…_

_No… that's insane!_

_Isn't it? But it's the truth. You know how you randomly got in shape for no reason? It was me that put all of that work into this body. And I also lent you some of the information that I had picked up. Yes, your unexplained knowledge came from me._

_Please, Voice! Is there some way to keep my spirit here? _Lucas asked, hopelessness starting to overwhelm him.

_I suppose that there is, but-_

_Do it!_

_You don't under-_

_I don't need to understand! _Lucas shouted desperately. _Just do it! I'll do anything! I'll take anything! I just need to live to save the world and see Claus again._

_Your spirit could be shattered, kid. I don't know if this will even work._

_I… DON'T… CARE! _

_Okay, okay. If you really want to… _

"PK Spirit Bond!" Voice shouted through Lucas' body.

Although, the body really was Voice's, wasn't it?

Lucas felt his spirit return to his body. However, he now felt more… squished. With a start, Lucas realized that he was _stuck _to Voice's spirit. He couldn't describe how it felt, but it sure was _weird. _

_I finally have control of my body again! _Voice exclaimed. _And also, congrats, Lucas. That was the first time that I had tried the spirit bond thingy. It could have gone horribly wrong, but I was able to get it right. It really is cramped in here, huh?_

_Who are you? _Lucas asked suspiciously. _If this is your body, why do you look exactly like me? How do you have access to a PSI ability that allows you to bond spirits?_

_We will have time to talk about that later! _Voice replied in alarm, which confused Lucas.

Voice had never been alarmed before, _especially _not at any of Lucas' questions.

_Use our body! _Voice shouted. _Look outside! _

Lucas blinked and did just that. He immediately noticed that his hands were handcuffed, meaning that he couldn't use PSI. But that wasn't his biggest problem.

Standing right in front of him was Kumatora, her mouth twisted into a painful grin.

"I am sorry," she rasped sadly. "I do not want to do this, but I have direct orders this time. You're coming with me to get brainwashed and become the new masked man."

Those words didn't have to be spoken in a scary tone to send a chill down Lucas' spine.

"No," Lucas exclaimed in denial. "No! It can't end this way! Not after all that I've gone through!"

"That's the funny thing, Lucas," Kumatora whispered. "No matter how much you've gone through, there's always someone who's gone through more. On the universal scale, none of us really matter. The sooner that you can accept that, the less pain that you will feel."

"You're not Kumatora!" Lucas realized out loud. "You're the shattered remnants of what's left of her!"

"That I am," Kumatora replied with a weary sigh. "And I will shatter everyone else, Lucas! _Everyone _will know my pain!"


	21. Chapter 21: No Second Chance

**Whew! I'm on a roll here!**

**Anyways, this is the last chapter that isn't fully set in New Pork (unless you count Magicant). Time to wrap up and move on to the closing scenes! **

**I wanted to fit a Lucas POV into this chapter, but there wasn't enough room (it's really long haha). I will explain more about Lucas/Voice next chapter, I promise. :)**

**Also, This is the LAST chapter in quite a while that features a large Kumatora part. I like that character way too much for my own good (I think you'll see that about Ana in later chapters too)! xD**

**Speaking of next chapter, I think that I'm going to rewrite one of the parts, so I probably won't get it out by tomorrow. xD Hopefully I can crank it out by Saturday, though.**

**My goal is to get this story done with by two weeks from tomorrow, which is when school ends for me. With all of the work that I have to do, it's going to be a close call. **

**Review Responses:**

**A Fan:**** Sadly, I couldn't get the links to work (and yes I know to put in the youtube url before the link). :( I did look up the Ganondorf thing though. xD**

**YES! The stuff at the beginning of the chapter is Voice's! :D I'm SO glad that someone noticed! As for the compilation of all of those little messages, it will be in the next chapter with the Lucas POV.**

**I've never heard that saying about revenge, but I like it. :) Yeah... Kuma's in a pretty scary situation with her killing. :(**

**You're totally right; It's awesome how I can talk about stuff like religion with the Mother community! :D I wasn't planning on talking about religion so much, but it's a huge part of who Paula is... and I didn't mean for the prayer to be ironic, either! xD It was a total coincidence.**

**If you want to review my other story, that would be awesome! :) I'm putting that one on hold right now (trying to finish up this one!), but I think that I'll finish it up after school's out... that is, if I don't get too excited about the story that I have planned after ****_that. _**

**Guest (the one that talked about Ness):**** Ness wasn't even in these last two chapters, and yet he's still the topic of concern? xD Don't get me wrong, I'm not being critical (on the contrary, I LOVE it that people are emotionally invested in my characters :D), but I just kind of assumed that people would be more worried about Lucas at this point. ;)**

**I won't say whether Ness lives or dies, but I will say that his story does not end on a depressing note. I think that you'll be satisfied. :)**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Huh, I guess you and I are the only people who kind of feel bad for Fassad. :) I even got that guilt while playing Mother 3 when the drago beats the living crap out of Fassad. :( He's just so much of a jerk at other times, though! It's hard to feel like that guilt is justified. xD**

**And oh wow, Loren does sound like my Lucas. I promise that I didn't steal it! :x Anyways, I ended up really liking how Voice develops (not as much as Ness, but still...), so I hope that you can appreciate his character as well! ;)**

**Also, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon always infuriated me as well! xD I would lose after trying for an hour and be like "why in the world am I wasting my time here!?" xD**

**Guest (the one that talked about Voice and Paula):**** Hey, I really like Paula too! :) She's my... second favorite character. xD I was actually kind of surprised at how well she turned out because she's a LOT different than I am. Sometimes, I wish that I could be more like her. D:**

**Voice and Lucas explanations are coming next chapter (some of them, at least). :)**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Phew, I'm lucky that I caught your review before I published this! :D**

**I know that it's confusing and I really wanted to put a Lucas POV in this chapter (I really did DX), but it's just too long to fit. :(**

**Yes, there's more Ness! (hey, that rhymes) Sadly, I don't think that any of my other Ness passages are quite as good as some of the earlier ones, but I'll try my best! :)**

**I like the metaphor! ;) You know me, I make a ton of scenes where people reverse mindsets. Kumatora will have growth, I promise! :)**

**I'm not going to say anything else about the plot, but I'm glad that you like Paula! She's one of my favorite characters! :)**

**Thanks for the encouragement and thanks for the review!**

* * *

_Right as I regain control of my body, my freedom is snatched away from me._

_I really am Tantalus, aren't I?_

* * *

Claus appeared back in Onett, Poo and Dr. Andonuts at his side.

"I should go back to Twoson," Poo announced hesitantly. "I need to… have a talk with Lloid."

Claus smiled.

"That's a great idea," he said, patting Poo on the back.

"Changing how I think is hard," Poo said glumly. "All of my past tendancies won't go away easily. Sometimes I wonder if I should even be trying."

"Of course you should try!" Claus said supportively. "All that you have to do is to keep an open mind. Little by little, you'll improve. It won't be easy, but it's doable. Besides, do you really want to back down from a challenge like this?"

"Heh," Poo replied with a grim smile. "You have me there. I'm not one to back down from a challenge, as unorthodox as this one may be. I'll improve Claus, just watch me!"

"That's the spirit!" Claus encouraged.

"Erm," Dr. Andonuts cut in nervously. "Do you kids have a place where I could stay? I know that I shouldn't be asking, but…"

"Maybe you can go to Twoson with Poo and meet Lloid," Claus suggested. "He's a techy person like you. I'm sure that you two can surprise us with something cool."

"Hrm…" Dr. Andonuts mused. "Yes, that's a good idea. I think I'll do just that. Maybe we can create something that will give us the edge against Porky."

"What are you going to do, Claus?" Poo asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

"I'm going to stay at Ness' house and wait for Lucas and Paula."

* * *

"Jeff, is everything all right?" Ness asked in the meeting room.

"I… honestly, no," Jeff replied, looking distraught. "My father has gone missing. Connection with Saturn Valley has been lost."

"Oh," Ness replied, not knowing what else to say.

Ness wanted to be supportive, but he never knew the right thing to say. As much as he liked to think that he was an expert at self-reflection, Ness had to admit that dealing with someone else' issues was foreign to him.

_Sometimes I hate the fact that I'm an introvert, _Ness thought.

"I know that you told me that I shouldn't be worried about what happens to my father because he doesn't care me, but-" Jeff was cut off.

"I just said that you shouldn't worry about him more than you would anyone else," Ness corrected. "If you don't care about random people, then yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying."

Jeff flinched.

_Okay… maybe that was a bit harsh, _Ness thought. _I'm still so bitter about… that incident._

"Sorry, Jeff," Ness apologized quietly. "I didn't mean to sound like a jerk there."

"It's fine," Jeff replied with a sigh. "I do get what you're saying, Ness, but… It's just so hard to forget about someone now that I started thinking about them. I think that the discovery of danger itself rather than the fact that Dr. Andonuts is my father spurs my worry. So… I guess that I do agree with you."

Ness nodded.

"Okay. And you obviously don't have to take my advice if you disagree. You have your own thoughts and your reasoning is probably superior to mine."

"I… am blind to social interaction, I feel," Jeff said glumly. "The conversations between us humans, the way that we put different values on different people based on how much they mean to us… how can anyone keep up with that? To me, that is a much greater challenge than learning quantum physics or calculus."

"I'm just going to pretend like I know what 'quantum physics' or 'calculus' is, if that's all right with you," Ness replied with a playful grin. "I know what you mean about social interaction. It can be… difficult to track. However, I feel that is a separate realm from morality, which is what we are discussing."

"I suppose," Jeff replied, "But I still feel like your moral beliefs are more sharply honed than mine."

_I had to contemplate suicide to get my morals straight, _Ness thought but said nothing.

"Well, the fact that you are willing to listen to what I have to say means that I'm not all that concerned about your morality," Ness said, trying to be supportive. "Normally, evil people are locked in their own little world and can't see outside of it."

Jeff nodded slowly. A beep sounded from the computer behind him, causing Jeff's eyes to jolt wide open. He turned to the computer to feverishly type something.

"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm not paying attention to you, but I think that I might be onto something here!" Jeff exclaimed.

"What is it?" Ness asked.

"Just wait a sec…" Jeff continued to type words onto the computer. "Let's see… aha!"

On the computer screen, a video appeared. It wasn't particularly exciting; likely it was simply the view from a surveillance camera.

"Yes!" Jeff exclaimed. "I finally got this stupid machine to let me see from cameras on other levels!"

"Levels?" Ness asked.

"This is a tall building, Ness," Jeff replied. "Of course there are levels. I now have access to all of them except for the 100th floor."

"100th floor… are we in the Empire Porky Building?" Ness asked.

"Yup," Jeff replied. "There's no other building tall enough."

"Anyways, what are you going to do, now that you have access to all of these security cameras?" Ness asked.

"Well, I think that I can determine the location of that monkey's girlfriend…"

"That's great!" Ness exclaimed, putting his hand of Jeff's shoulder. "Really, Jeff, you're a genius!"

"It's nothing," Jeff replied sheepishly.

"Oh come on. There's no point in being modest! Admit it, Jeff! You're a genius."

Jeff shrugged.

"I still wouldn't say that. I'm just good with computers after years of experience."

"Whatever. How long do you think that it will take to locate Samba?"

"Samba?"

"Salsa's girlfriend," Ness explained.

"Oh," Jeff replied. "It could be a couple of hours, or it could be a couple of days. This place is _big. _You should probably go and tell Salsa."

"Can do," Ness agreed jovially and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jeff exclaimed in alarm.

Ness turned around to see Jeff staring at the computer screen in horror. He typed some more words in and a shot from the brainwashing room appeared.

Lucas and Paula were floating in capsules of green liquid, tubed masks covering their mouths and metal helmets obscuring their hair.

They were being brainwashed.

"Paula!" Ness exclaimed, rushing up to the computer screen like it would do any good. "Lucas!"

Of course, the screen didn't respond.

"Oh, Paula, what are they doing to you?" Ness whispered in horror.

* * *

Ness flew through hallways, only caring about one thing.

He had to reach Lucas and Paula.

As Ness turned a corner, he saw Kumatora walking nonchalantly down the steel corridor.

"Out of my way!" Ness snarled.

"I don't think so," Kumatora rasped.

She held out her axe to stop Ness from darting past her. Ness raised his baseball bat in reply, prompting a scornful laugh from Kumatora.

"You really must wish to die if you want to fight me, Ness!" she jeered. "These robotic upgrades make me next to invincible!"

"You…" Ness whispered venomously. "You let Paula and Lucas go!"

"No," Kumatora rasped. "They will soon feel the same emptiness that we will."

"I'm not empty anymore!" Ness shouted, louder than he probably needed to. "All that you need to do is find something to live for!"

"_Nothing _is worth living for!" Kumatora snarled.

"Maybe it isn't for you, but you can respect other people's wishes!" Ness countered.

Kumatora didn't even seem to listen.

"I thought that you understood," she rasped. "Did you ever really feel the emptiness? You should know that _nothing _can fill that void!"

_I think I've already wasted enough time talking to someone who won't listen, _Ness thought bitterly.

He took off in a sprint and rolled under Kumatora's axe. Without looking back, he turned another corner and kept running. _I'm so close! _

Ness arrived at the brainwashing room. He tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge.

_Of course it's locked! _Ness thought, kicking himself.

He tried to bash into it, but the door was thicker and heavier than Ness had remembered.

_I swear that this thing was pretty weak the last time that I checked… what happened?_

"Such an irrational child…" Kumatora mused, turning the corner and causally walking towards Ness. "Did you honestly think that we would just let you waltz in there and save the girl like a stereotypical hero? Sorry kid, we're the bad guys. We have _no_ intention of allowing you to go in there."

Ness felt himself fall into a crimson rage.

"Paula is _not _going to be brainwashed!" He shouted in denial. "And neither is Lucas!"

"Now you deny the truth that you once accepted?" Kumatora asked in disgust.

Right as Ness was about to launch himself at Kumatora, the door to the brainwashing room opened. Paula stepped out, her eyes glazed over with emptiness rather than death_. _

"Who… are you?" she asked Ness in a detached curiosity that nearly broke Ness' heart.

"Paula!" Ness shouted in horror. "Don't you remember me?"

Paula closed her eyes and wearily shook her head.

_No! _Ness thought. _I can't go through this again! I was almost destroyed when Ninten was brainwashed… this will be the nail in my coffin! _

Ness waited for despair to overtake him, to bring him to his knees and cause him to tear at his skin, spilling gallons of blood on the uncaring floor.

It didn't come.

Obviously, Ness felt despair and sorrow. He would have to be a robot not to. But… it didn't assault him. Ness accepted the pain and despair, for both him and Paula.

He became one with the suffering.

_There's no way that I'm giving up now! _Ness told himself. _There has to be a way out for Paula! And even if there isn't… what kind of friend would I be if I didn't at least try?_

Ness sneaked a peek into the brainwashing room, covering the glance by burying his head in his hands in fake anguish and separating his fingers, looking through the slits. Inside, both Paula's and Lucas' capsules were empty.

_Damn! _Ness swore to himself. _Lucas' brainwashing finished too. I wonder where he is, though… But first, I have to focus on getting out of this place without Kumatora taking my head off. Think, Ness… Aha! I can just play into her game of emptiness. I'll pretend to be devastated. After all, I probably should be. _

"All right," Ness said to Kumatora, panting heavily and forcing tears to come to his eyes.

_Huh, _Ness thought. _It's actually pretty easy to fake this after I've had personal experience with this crap._

"The harsh reality comes to me," Ness lied in a resigned tone. "The emptiness… is returning."

"I am glad," Kumatora rasped with a smile.

_That might be the first time that I've ever seen her smile…_ Ness realized._ There's no denying it. She's truly happy that she thinks that I feel the same pain that she does. That's… pretty sad. _

What must Kumatora feel so that the only way to experience happiness was to see other people suffer?

"I… need to think more," Ness said and walked away, resisting the urge to break into a sprint.

Luckily, Kumatora didn't try to stop him.

* * *

Jeff didn't know what caused him to try to go on a life-threatening mission alone. He tried to contain his anxiety as he walked off the elevator on the 54th floor of the Empire Pork Building. He was wearing his white scientist uniform. Nobody would question him… right?

Jeff took a deep breath and walked by the cages of chimeras. Jeff had always been disgusted by chimeras, for they looked stupid as well as deranged. He saw the newest prototype standing in a little white cage in the white room. The chimera was a hippopotamus that held missiles in its poor, taxed mouth. From what Jeff understood, the hippos were designed to be able to hold more missiles in their stomach and then regurgitate them in order to fire them. Thinking about that made _Jeff _want to regurgitate something.

Jeff had to think about something, anything, in order to avoid looking at all of the helpless, destructive chimeras. His mind shifted to the many worlds theory, something that he had recently read while studying quantum physics.

The many worlds theory stated that every time a decision was made, multiple universes were created, each of them where the outcome of the decision was different. According to the theory, these "decisions" applied at the subatomic level because quantum particles provided the only truly random movement in the universe, but Jeff liked to imagine it on a macro scale.

_According to the theory, there's a universe where I chose not to do this, _Jeff thought._ There's a universe where Ness took the suicide pill. There's a universe where Kumatora wasn't reborn into a cyborg… and a universe where she didn't even die._

_There's a universe where we defeated Giygas. _

Jeff thought about what that would be like. Giygas had ruled so much of his life… or so it seemed. In reality, he, Ness, Paula, and Poo had only spent a few months together trying to lift the dark shroud that surrounded their land. It was going so well, too, but one bad fight was all that it took. It wasn't a fight that they had expected to be challenging, but in the end… Jeff shook his head, dismissing the painful memory that popped up. He still hadn't figured out what happened to Giygas. The incomprehensible monster just seemed to fade away.

_Were we lied to? _Jeff wondered. _Was the world ever in danger in the first place? Was Giygas even real? _

With a start, Jeff realized that he had arrived at his destination. He stood in front of a cage containing a monkey that was wearing a ribbon. Jeff had assumed from Salsa's reaction to being shown a picture of this monkey that it was the one that Ness wanted to rescue.

_Samba, _he thought. _Her name is Samba. _

Samba looked up at him with large, sad eyes, not caring enough to move around.

"Hey!" Jeff shouted to one of the scientists patrolling nearby. "I need to preform tests on this monkey!"

"But-" The scientist sputtered.

"That wasn't a suggestion!" Jeff shouted as confidently as he could.

Inside, he was suffocating from anxiety. Surely, the scientist wouldn't let himself get pushed around by a kid…

"Who are you?" The scientist asked incredulously.

"I'm Jeff Andonuts! My father, Dr. Andonuts, has requested that this monkey be used for testing. His new invention requires a mind that has not been… tinkered with."

"But Dr. Andonuts is-"

"I know he's gone," Jeff said impatiently. "I have this document with his signature." Jeff pulled out the forged letter of approval and showed it to the scientist. "I am also aware that this monkey is being held under special conditions under the orders of master Fassad, who is no longer alive. I assume that there is no conflict?"

"I suppose…" the scientist said reluctantly.

He pulled out a key and opened the cage.

_Yes! _Jeff thought. _I can't believe that worked! _

Jeff picked up the monkey as gently as he could. The poor thing was shivering in fear.

_I just have to get out of here and take of this persona… _Jeff blinked as he noticed that the monkey was holding something.

Jeff nearly dropped her in shock after seeing what she held.

_The sound stone! _Jeff realized in shock. _But how…? Ness lost that thing in the Lost Underworld! _

Jeff looked at it further.

_Oh my god! It has the last melody! Ness could still go to Magicant! _

Jeff's quest with Ness had been to store the eight melodies in the sound stone and travel to Magicant so that Ness could discover an inner power that would let him beat Giygas. The fact that the sound stone was right here… Jeff wasn't sure how to feel about that.

But one thing was for sure: he couldn't act suspicious now. Heart pounding in his chest, Jeff walked back through the chimera halls acting as casual as his overexcited body let him.

* * *

"Poo?" Claus called. "Lloid? Lucas?"

Claus strolled through the streets of Twoson the next morning. Lucas and Paula hadn't shown up over the night, so Claus was going to see if Lloid had any leads on them. As he walked, Claus feet his clothes radiate heat from the gentle rays of sunlight that struck them. A calm breeze flowed through Twoson, causing Claus to relax. He walked up to the Lloid's house (or was it Poo's or Paula's?) and opened it.

Inside, Poo and Dr. Andonuts were lying dead on the ground, slash and stab marks on their bodies that charred the flesh that they covered.

Claus blinked. The dead bodies were a trick of his mind. They _had _to be a trick of his mind.

When he opened his eyes, they were still there.

_What the hell? WHAT THE HELL?_

Claus took a step back, smelling the sickening stench of the corpses. Poo's body was so pale… and it was lying in a puddle of blood!

_Just like the other man in Onett! _

Was this Kumatora's doing as well?

_No… the slash marks that look like they flaming sword… that's not Kumatora's weapon! _

Suddenly, Claus realized that Poo had scrawled words in blood next to where he lay. They read: "Needl New Pork."

_Needl New Pork… the last needle must be in New Pork! _

That is, unless the murderer had left those words to trick Claus. It did seem suspicious… and for that matter, where was Lloid? There was no sign of him. Claus turned to look at the computer that Lloid was using to find the locations of the needles. It had been slashed in two, bearing the same burn marks as Poo's and Dr. Andonuts' bodies.

Claus took another step back, feeling the urge to barf. That nausea was quickly replaced by rage.

_WHO DID THIS? Whoever it is… I will show them the true meaning of PAIN!_

Claus snarled, letting out a bestial, guttural sound, feeling an indescribable urge to _smash _something.

Was the needle really in New Pork? Claus had no way of telling for sure, but that was his only lead. Besides, the murderer was probably working for Porky and would reside in New Pork.

Claus left the house and took off running, not even bothering to deal with the corpses. He would go to Onett and stock up, and then he would travel to New Pork as swiftly as he could.

_Poo and Dr. Andonuts both realized the error of their ways and started becoming wonderful people… but they never had a chance to improve! All of what we tried to do… was for nothing! In the end, they're both dead and their change in mindset WAS WORTHLESS! _

Claus would find the person who caused this _horrible _fate to Poo and Dr. Andonuts.

And he would kill them.


	22. Chapter 22: Magicant

**I actually have nothing to say today. *hears gasps in the background* So, enjoy, I guess! xD**

**Oh wait, nope. *hears groans* This will be quick, I promise! :) There's a part in this chapter where all of the cryptic messages from the starts of chapters (I hope that you've noticed those...) are reprinted. Don't feel like you have to read them thoroughly (I honestly wouldn't xD). You can just skim over them or ignore them completely. I don't care, and even if I did there would be no way for me to know. XD**

**See, that wasn't ****_too _****bad, was it? **

**Review Responses:**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Well, we all have to be lazy sometimes. :) And yup, this is an alternate universe. And hey, I'm really glad that you can feel for Claus. He's so different from me that I was worried that I was butchering his character (still am, actually...)**

**Guest (who talked about Paula and Lucas):**** There's a possibility for them to be illusions, but so far it doesn't seem logical for that to be the case. And I'm sorry that your soul shattered. :( I will say that Lucas and Paula both have roles to play in this story other than being villains, though. :)**

**SMF:**** Hi! :) Nice to see you again (or your writing at least)! I was hoping that the ch. 20 plot thing would be surprising. xD And I'm glad that you noticed the connection between Voice and the thingies at the beginning too. :)**

**JustMe. Hi:**** Well, Lucas already died, so... that takes care of that prediction. Although, I'm not saying that he is safe from death in the future. ;) And there's actually a 4th person that isn't insane, coming next chapter! (don't you hate teasers? xD) Voice is a literal voice inside of Lucas' body (although Voice claims that the body is really his) that gives him (sometimes faulty) info and fighting prowess. More on him this chapter!**

**Guest (about Voice and Lucas):**** Normally, I would respond with something ambiguous and noncommittal, but yes. :) It's pretty clear after the events in this chapter. Nice catch! **

**A Fan:**** Yeah, Paula did say that she had a lot of food. There's an explanation for this, but I didn't put it into the story because I figured that most people wouldn't catch that. xD Basically, Paula has her food stored in a place that isn't all that convenient to reach quickly (she wasn't expecting to get engaged in a close quarters combat), and she knows that one hit from Kuma's axe could kill/KO her. So by getting food, she would leave herself open to get hit... and basically just be stalling the inevitable. She also had no idea how tanky Kuma was and assumed that a few PK Freeze Omegas would be enough to take her down.**

**Er... the murderer will be revealed this chapter. That's all that I will say. xD**

**Wow, you actually looked up Tantalus? I didn't expect people to care about this enough to look up all of my references. :) **

**Oh, there's no limit to chapter size (I think...). The reason that I say that a chapter is "too long," is because ends of chapters are my break points, and writing/editing something more than 3.5k long is something that kind of scares me. :)**

**I make spelling errors all of the time (you can probably tell by my name). xD Spell check is a wonderful invention... that kinda makes me feel like I never have to learn how to spell.**

**You're right; the normal thing to do would be to take the corpses back. There is an (admittedly vague and implied) reason for it, but it's not really important. Good catch, though. :) With you around, it's like I have an editor! I really do appreciate all of the time that you put into reading my story and writing these reviews.**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:**** I'm glad that you like my plot twists! There will be more (although the Voice/Lucas thing was probably the biggest one). :)**

**Yeah, the chosen four failing to beat Giygas is actually the point where this universe splits off from the Mother universe. And the murderer of Poo and Dr. Andonuts will be revealed this chapter.**

**Hey, there's no shame in waiting a day to review! :) I hope that you'll like the Lucas POV... because it takes up most of the chapter! Actually, I'm still kinda working out the Claus revenge thingy, even though I'm done with all of the rough drafts... oops. :x**

* * *

_I have been brainwashed._

_This scares me in more ways than I can possibly write. If Porky gets a hold of some of the powers that I have…_

_I cannot possibly fathom the consequences._

* * *

Lucas appeared in a green-skied land where the sun was conspicuously absent from the sky. The ground below around him was colored a lifeless grey and there were no buildings or people in sight.

_Magicant… _Lucas thought.

It felt so… lonely. It was so quiet that Lucas could hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

_Why am I in Magicant? _

A light flashed and suddenly Lucas was standing in a flaming forest. The ground returned to its natural, grassy state and the sun flew in the sky, indicating that this was in imitation of the real world. The large trees around him looked like they were from the area around Tazmily… and they were being charred by the heartless flames that licked their life away. Smoke rose from the dying trees, but Lucas wasn't inhaling it for whatever reason.

_What's happening? _Lucas wondered in panic.

He heard a bestial, bone-chilling roar and took off in its direction, having nowhere else to run. However, Lucas soon felt his body tire.

_Phew… I'm really out of shape! I guess the body that I existed in for those months really was Voice's… _Lucas struggled through the physical exertion, gasping for air.

Lucas arrived at a clearing and saw _his_ _mother_ of all people standing there beyond the bushes, trembling in fear but standing up straight in defiance. Lucas knew in the back of his mind that his mother was dead and buried in the real world, but he didn't care.

"Mother!" Lucas shouted. "Run!"

Hinawa didn't respond.

"Mother, please!" Lucas begged.

Hinawa took a step back as a T-Rex-like lizard crashed into the clearing with a roar, the same bone-chilling roar that Lucas had heard earlier. He leapt into the clearing and froze in terror as he got a closer look at the dinosaur.

It looked like a T-Rex, but it had a massive robotic leg along with its flesh one that made tremors whenever it slammed into the ground. It had a cold, steel lower jaw that looked like it could crush a car. One of its eyes had been replaced by a synthetic substitute that looked icily blue.

_So similar to Kumatora… _Lucas thought.

With a start, Lucas realized that the lizard's mouth had been converted into a rocket launcher.

_How does that thing eat? _Lucas wondered. _Does it eat? _

Lucas' trance of awe and horror was broken when the lizard charged at Hinawa.

"No!" Lucas exclaimed, sprinting forward.

Hinawa tripped and fell out of sheer terror. She closed her eyes and tensed up, resigning to her cold fate.

"No!" Lucas repeated.

What in the world was happening?

The lizard stabbed Hinawa's heart with one of its fangs, impaling her. Unfortunately, she wasn't granted a swift death, as her eyes snapped open in shock. Hinawa struggled and squirmed on the lizard's tooth, knowing that there couldn't possibly be a way for her to live. After a few agonizing seconds, she stopped moving and her head fell back, revealing wide-open eyes that were glazed over. Her face was pale and her crimson blood ran down the lizard's tooth.

"No…" Lucas whispered in anguish. "What… is happening?"

He broke down sobbing. The lizard didn't seem to notice Lucas, be he wouldn't have cared if it had. Lucas was too absorbed in his anguish to care about anything else.

Suddenly, Lucas felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see that it was _himself _that had put a hand on his shoulder. It was him, with the same shorts, shirt, and hairstyle. The only difference between the two was that the other Lucas carried a pocketbook in his left hand.

"It's Voice," the other Lucas said. "We need to get out of here. Teleport PSI doesn't work in Magicant."

"How… can you be so heartless?" Lucas demanded. "Look at that person impaled on that lizard's tooth. How can you be so calm?"

"Heartless?" Voice asked with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes I wish that I was… but most of the time I'm glad that I'm not. This scene hurts me more than you know, Lucas. I saw this happen in real life as well as in Magicant. And Hinawa is still my mother."

"Then show some emotion!" Lucas yelled.

"I will after we escape," Voice replied evenly.

Right as he said that, a portion of the land in the distance detached itself from the rest of Magicant and started floating away like a stranded iceberg.

"Magicant is crumbling, Lucas! Do you want to fall into oblivion as well?"

Lucas looked at the castaway land and realized that Voice was probably right.

"Hmph," Lucas huffed. "Fine. Let's go."

Voice nodded.

"None of this scene is real, so feel free to walk through the drago, fire, and trees," Voice explained. "They're just illusions."

Heartbroken, Lucas turned and ran away from the clearing where his mother was impaled.

* * *

Ness appeared in a foreign world. The ground beneath him was purple and the sky was a soft pink. Buildings around him looked simplistic and impractical as if they had been brought to life from a child's drawing. Ness looked out onto the pink horizon and saw people that he knew.

_This must be Magicant! _Ness thought excitedly. _I made it! _

Ness had been beating himself for so long because he lost the sound stone… but now he finally had a chance to tap into his inner power. That made him more excited than he could explain.

_Still, how in the world was the stone with Samba? _Ness thought, recent memories of Salsa's heartwarming reunion with Samba fresh in his mind. They were so cute together…

_Focus, Ness. How could Samba have gotten the stone from the Lost Underworld of all places?_

There wasn't even a way other than flight or teleportation that Ness knew of that would allow someone to escape that place, even if they managed to _get_ there, which in itself was extremely difficult.

_I guess it doesn't matter. I… just wish that Paula could share these moments with me, _Ness thought wistfully.

Paula… would she ever recover from her brainwashing? Both Ninten and Kumatora hadn't.

Ness took off walking through the world of Magicant, taking in the scenery that changed with his every thought. Eventually, he met people that he knew. Ness soon figured that these people only existed as figments of his imagination, meaning that talking to his sister and mother would be a… hollow experience. As he walked around the mess of people that he knew, Ness found himself face to face with someone that he didn't expect.

"Hello, Ness," Gelengarde Monotoli said, businesslike as ever.

Monotoli was an old man wearing formal business attire. He had been a zealous, power-hungry mayor that Ness had made an enemy out of on his search for the eight melodies. Ness couldn't blame him all that much, as Monotoli had been under Giygas' evil influence, but he still couldn't shake his feeling of resentment.

"Monotoli," Ness replied coldly. "I need to be somewhere."

"I mean no disrespect, my boy, but… why are you slouching?" Monotoli asked. "You look as if you bear a great burden."

"It's none of your concern," Ness snapped sharply, perhaps too sharply.

"I thought that my burden wasn't anyone else's business either, and then it turned out that I had been under Giygas' influence," Monotoli replied.

Ness sighed.

"I suppose you're right," Ness conceded. "I do have… issues. Do you really wish to listen to what I have to say?"

"You remind me… of myself," Monotoli replied with a reserved smile. "I think that I may be able to help you."

"All right. I… feel like I'm a failure." Ness looked at Monotoli, expecting an interjection. None came, so Ness continued: "I tried to save the world. I was so determined. And… I failed. That doesn't weigh lightly on my mind."

Ness expected Monotoli to tell him that nobody blamed him for his failure, which was true, but Monotoli said something very different:

"I know what you mean, Ness. As much as everyone around you tells you not to worry about failing them, you still can't get over the fact that you failed yourself."

Ness nodded.

"Well," Monotoli said, "Forgetting the past isn't a good idea, even if it hurts. You need to focus on what you learned from your failure."

"I only learned that success is next to impossible!" Ness exclaimed.

"Maybe it is," Monotoli replied. "In that case, failure is normal. Why bother being guilty about being normal?"

Ness looked at Monotoli in surprise.

"Everyone says to dream big," Ness said. "Everyone says to try to be great rather than normal."

"You did try to be great," Monotoli replied, "And you put some good effort in. You failed, but that's ok. Failure is normal. If you succeed now, nobody will remember your past failures, Ness. Your journey was a win-neutral situation that ended up being neutral."

"I can't just _not feel guilty_ about almost causing the end of the world," Ness argued.

"Then don't think about it that way," Monotoli offered. "Focus on internal successes and failures before you get caught up in the world's massive web of troubles."

"I… suppose," Ness said, not fully convinced.

For some reason, he did feel a bit better, though.

"Thanks for talking to me, Monotoli," Ness said with a nod of respect. "I have a lot to think about now."

"No problem," Monotoli replied. "It's nice to be able to talk to someone else who understands the true nature of internal guilt."

_This has gotten rather deep for a conversation with a figment of my imagination, _Ness thought. _Did my mind subconsciously pick up on all of Monotoli's character like that? Or is it making all of this up? _

Regardless, the conversation left Ness with plenty to ponder as he walked further into Magicant.

* * *

"We can rest here," Voice said as he and Lucas entered another realm of Magicant where the world was shown in greyscale.

"Is this… real?" Lucas panted, looking at his grey hands and the black ground beneath him.

"As real as it gets here," Voice replied, seeming unsurprised by the change in palette.

"Whew," Lucas sighed, breathing deeply. "I don't know how you can just run for that long and not feel tired. I'm exhausted."

"I can tell," Voice said with a laugh. "We should be safe here for a while. Do you have any questions that you want to ask me?"

"Millions."

"Ask away."

"For starters, why am I here? Why are you here?"

"We were brainwashed," Voice replied evenly, letting out a sigh. "We were driven from our conscious mind to our subconscious, which is where this world exists. This world is like a dream, but you cannot shape this world like you could a dream. Our body now acts independent of us."

Lucas nodded, feeling a surprising lack of disturbance at the revelation. Maybe he was going insane, but there seemed to be no harm in indulging Voice in listening to his explanations.

"Did your mother really die like that?" Lucas asked, concern ruling his tone.

He remembered how Hinawa had squirmed on the lizard's tooth… Lucas forced his eyes shut.

"Yes," Voice replied. "I have had to watch that little scene dozens of times, each one as painful as the last."

Lucas looked at Voice's now greyscale face and saw a hint of sadness under his mask of indifference.

"So, Hinawa is your mother, but she died differently in your memory than she did in real life," Lucas started, remembering how his mother had slowly died from cholera. "And you look exactly like me. How can that be possible?"

Voice smiled with a slight air of superiority.

"We are the same person, Lucas. That is why I simply go by 'Voice.'"

"That's not possible," Lucas said simply.

"And here I am, right in front of you," Voice countered.

"This could all be a trick."

"It could be," Voice concurred. "But who would pull such a complicated trick? Why not impersonate Claus?"

"I… don't know," Lucas admitted. "But that doesn't mean that I trust you."

"I would be a bit concerned if you _did _trust me right away," Voice said with a humorless grin. "But even if you don't trust me, you can still ask more questions."

Lucas sighed. Voice was probably right.

"Why did some of Magicant fly away?" Lucas inquired. "Is that normal?"

Voice snorted a laugh.

"No, that's not normal at all. It's a result of the brainwashing. Magicant exists as a world inside of our mind, so when our mind is being actively destroyed…"

_Magicant begins to crumble, _Lucas finished.

Magicant crumbling… that was more scary than Lucas cared to admit.

"So, will this world eventually fall into darkness?" Lucas asked bitterly.

"Not darkness so much as… emptiness."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, but darkness and emptiness are two very different things. You can run and hide from the dark, but good luck escaping your own emptiness."

"Wow, this is really cheering me up," Lucas said sarcastically, feeling frustrated. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Keep feeling," Voice replied without further explanation.

Suddenly, color sprouted in the world, spreading across the horizon like a picture being painted. The sky turned a vibrant purple while the hills around Lucas and Voice became a dull blue.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, furrowing is brow.

"What do you think the point of the brainwashing machine showing you and me that gruesome scene back there was?" Voice asked in reply like a teacher trying to subtly lead a student to a difficult answer.

_Can't you just answer the question? _Lucas wanted to ask, but he decided to play Voice's game.

"It's so that we fall into despair, right?"

"Wrong."

_Naturally._

"Think about it, Lucas. If we fall into despair, we are still ourselves. They want to change us completely."

"Oh!" Lucas realized. "They want us to become callous. They want us to stop feeling strongly about the experiences that make us who we are. They are trying to make us empty and fill us up with hollow zeal."

"I think that the emptiness without the zeal is enough for them," Voice replied, "But you are essentially correct. That is why we _cannot _give up and become callous. Too much is on the line."

"So do we just try to hold out and keep the brainwashing from finishing?" Lucas asked.

"Keep it from finishing? We've been fully brainwashed, Lucas. And believe it or not, we just killed Poo and Dr. Andonuts. All that we're doing now is trying to hang onto the part of us that remains. Remember, there was still some of Ninten left inside of him. There is still some of us left."

_I… killed two people? _Lucas thought.

He hadn't known Poo or Dr. Andonuts well, but that didn't stop guilt from assaulting him. He had just _killed _two people! Words alone could not describe the significance of that event.

"How can we hang on while our body is murdering people around us?" Lucas asked. "That seems to be next to _impossible_."

"It is," Voice replied evenly. "But it's what we have to do. Keep feeling the pain and sorrow, Lucas. At least they are _yours._"

Lucas sighed wearily and nodded.

"So, are we like Kumatora on the outside?" Lucas asked. "Are we zealous, heartless monsters?"

"Kumatora isn't brainwashed, Lucas," Voice replied. "Her problems are different."

"Really? Why else would she want to destroy the world?" Lucas asked skeptically.

"She was brought back from the dead," Voice explained steadily. "She has knowledge of how it feels to die, and nobody else does. That makes her feel… alone. She figures that if she can make everyone die with her, they will finally understand the situation that she's in."

"That's insane," Lucas whispered in horror.

"Is it?" Voice asked. "After all, we all want to be understood and accepted. Is what she's doing really any different than talking down to a narcissist to show them what it feels like?"

"Of course it's different!" Lucas exclaimed. "She should be able to catch herself."

"She feels nothing but pain," Voice said, averting his eyes and looking down in sorrow. "I think that is her problem. Her pain receptors crowd out any moral signals to her brain. I know how that feels."

"You do?" Lucas asked, eyes widening in surprise.

As a response, Voice tossed something at Lucas, who fumbled to catch it. Lucas examined the object and found it to be the pocket book that Voice had been carrying. He looked at Voice, feeling puzzled.

"Open up and read it," Voice said with a steady smile. "I wrote all of my scattered emotions down in that book."

Lucas shrugged and opened the book to page one:

_Nothing seems real. All is ethereal._

_Is this the start of a grand adventure? No…_

_It is the start of my never ending pain, pain borne from longing and isolation._

_I fear that I am going insane, which is why I write these words. I hope that if I fall over the edge into insanity's cleansing waters, someone will read this and understand who I am._

_But…_

_That hope is foolish, for there is nobody else in this prison who will ever know who I am. I suppose that I write these words to keep myself company._

_Because I have nothing else._

_When I talk about prison, I do not speak literally. Rather, the land that I am in is vast… and oddly familiar. However, it is this familiarity that repulses me so. This world is similar to mine, but is just different enough to make me feel like I'm missing something. It is like a robot that looks almost like a human, but has enough subtle differences to register in our minds as "creepy." This world, while expansive, feels empty to me. _

_In this wide open land, I have never before felt so trapped._

_In this densely populated world, I have never before felt so alone._

_How naïve I was, to think myself invincible! That, I believe, is the state of a content human. Nobody, after overcoming challenges such as mine, expects to be defeated. I assumed that after I had overcome the sorrow that threatened to drive me insane, I would be immune to pain. Little did I know that I would soon face a much greater enemy: solitude._

_Solitude… _

_Even writing that word sends a pang of longing into my heart. Feeling truly alone is the worst fate that I have experienced thus far. And I have experienced much… _

_I wonder if insanity is a psychological defense against loneliness. _

_It makes sense; when someone collapses from the agony of being alone, their mind creates false voices to keep that person company. In the same way that a doctor that sees hundreds of patients die grows callous, a person who is alone for too long falls into insanity's cleansing waters. _

_Time can wear down even the hardest of us._

_Eventually, the doctor is unable to take the pain from watching people die. Eventually, someone who is alone is unable to take the pain of solitude. These people learn to cope by becoming emotionally detached or insane, depending on their ailment._

_It's what we do._

_I knew a person once who is forever doomed to sit inside his little prison forever without being able to comprehend or interact with the outside world in any way. To this day, he knows that he will exist for all eternity and is fully aware that he is powerless to escape to death's warm embrace._

_Or does he?_

_See, this person has gone completely insane. He just sits there in his little prison, comforted by his mind's own false creations. He always wanted to live forever in a desolate world… in a way, he got what he wanted._

_Is it wrong to think that way?_

_Sometimes, I wonder if insanity is the better choice. Thinking about the person stuck forever in his prison made me realize that his situation may be better than mine. He is, if nothing else, happy._

_Should I give into insanity and end the pain?_

_I know that sort of thinking is considered to be morally wrong, but every day I find it harder to remember why. Being headstrong and confident is good, right? Shouldn't I ignore convention and dive into the cleansing waters of insanity? Wouldn't that be the greatest strength of all?_

_The offer is tempting… so tempting… _

_Part of what keeps me sane are the fleeting glimpses that I get of the world outside of my prison. Whenever I see a snippet of what lies beyond, hope rushes through my tiny vessel of a body. I hope that maybe, just maybe, I can find a way out._

_But that hope is a lie._

_I know that I am stuck here, but I still feel a surge of hope when I see these glimpses. I am the titan Tantalus. I know that I cannot reach the fruits and water of the outside world, but my hunger and thirst make me care._

_It is the worst punishment one can receive._

_Like a jolt of lightning, Kumatora's death roused me from my despair. Her insane laugh is a sound that I will surely take to the grave and beyond. Insanity's warm clutches may be tempting, but losing our rational judgment is akin to death._

_Kumatora, who is normally quite pragmatic, would be horrified to see herself fall into the void of insanity from the outside, I feel. If I were to go insane, would I act like Kumatora? The idea scares me._

_I no longer care how other people view me, but I do care about how I view myself. Can I really plunge into the warm, calming waters of insanity knowing that I would be mortified at the thought of going insane just months earlier?_

_I think not._

_Right as I resolved to keep my sanity about me, I was blessed with a visitor from the realm of the dead. My relationship with this person was paradoxical: I knew them both very well and not at all._

_I was able to finally talk about my feelings to someone, and my visitor even listened. _

_She had a purpose. Purpose… that word has a nice, foreign ring to it._

_Having a purpose is paramount. This may seem obvious, but for someone like me who was and still is so far gone, common knowledge may easily be obscured like how a heavy, oppressive fog can obscure normal sight._

_I need to find a reason to live._

_Existing is not enough; my solitude has taught me that. I need to feel emotion flow through my veins; I need to have something to desperately cling onto when all else is thrown in the abyss below._

_Because that is what it truly means to be alive._

_Zeal is a foul mimic of emotion._

_That is why Porky may prefer brainwashed humans to robots. Zeal carries all of the weight and determination of emotion but has none of the checks that emotions have from throwing us into the path of a bestial killer. Zeal allows a person to close their mind to everything and focus only on the task at hand, making them not so different from a robot._

_A world ruled by zealots scares me more than anything._

_This life has given me hope._

_Hinawa…_

_Your coming was a sweet curse, a curse that I needed to be able to drag myself back onto my weary, twisted path._

_Because in this world that you call Magicant, it is so easy to lose myself._

_Is love the strongest emotion of all?_

_Sometimes I wonder. In all of the stories, the heroes win with the power of love or friendship. That has caused love as a vehicle for success to appear as "cheesy," "overused," and eventually "unrealistic." _

_Still… there's a reason that the bonds between us bring success to the heroes in the stories. Fighting to the death pushes us to our limits, but fighting for somebody else can allow us to go beyond limits. The feeling that permeates through us when we fight for someone that we care about is powerful indeed._

_Still, is love the strongest emotion? That is quite a bold claim. Despair seems to be a mighty contender, being able to drive the strongest of people to their knees and forcing so many others to stop caring, giving their lives to the void of emptiness._

_Regardless of the answer… hold onto your brotherly love for each other, Claus and Lucas._

_You're lucky to have people alive that you love. _

_Anticipatory adrenaline floods through my body._

_If the two needles in Saturn Valley and Osohe Castle are pulled, this world will be saved._

_I'm relieved by how much I care._

_Sometimes I wonder why religion is such a touchy subject._

_I think I know the answer. As humans, we make religion part of our identity. When people disagree with our religion, it is seen as disagreeing with who we are._

_Still, though..._

_I can't decide if that touchiness is justified or not. _

_I am feeling déjà vu._

_Everything in this world… is unfolding like it did in mine._

_I'm not sure if that's a good sign or a bad one._

_Right as I regain control of my body, my freedom is snatched away from me._

_I really am Tantalus, aren't I?_

_I have been brainwashed._

_This scares me in more ways than I can possibly write. If Porky gets a permanent hold of some of the powers that I have…_

_I cannot possibly fathom the extent of the consequences._

"I… did this to you?" Lucas asked in horror. "I condemned you to _that _by taking control of your body?"

"No," Voice replied with a wry smirk. "That wasn't you. I was already a wreck before you did that to me. My 'let be' mentality was only allowed to form because of how much I had lost and how low I had fallen. If I had been left alone in Magicant two years ago… I could have made it."

Under his emotionless words, Lucas could see the unnatural terror that crept onto Voice's face. Voice put a hand over his heart, closing his eyes. He looked so vulnerable, standing there like that. It made Lucas uncomfortable.

"I… only escaped from that mentality when I saw Kumatora fall," Voice continued. "And I'm still scarred by who I was. You've commented in your mind how I act annoying. I… do it to get attention. I've felt so alone for so long… I craved attention of any kind like an alcoholic craves liquor. I'm sorry that you're stuck here with a wretch like me."

Lucas put his hand on Voice' shoulder, looking at his clone resolutely.

"I don't mind, Voice," Lucas said gently. "Really, I don't. I know that you might be broken, but you can be rebuilt. Sure, I'll admit that you can be annoying at times, but… I can't really blame you for wanting attention, under your circumstances. Besides, it's kind of my fault for taking over your body, no matter what you say. If you try to work with me, I think that we could make you whole again, leaving the past to be nothing but a bad dream."

Tears came to Voice's eyes. Voice hadn't cried when he had seen his mother impaled on the lizard's tooth, but he now cried with an ecstatic, sad smile. Voice stepped forward and hugged Lucas.

"Thank you, Lucas," Voice said, tears of relief flowing. "That means more to me than you can possibly know. The fact that you're willing to save someone as low as I… it really touches me."

Lucas put his arms around Voice, smiling back.


	23. Chapter 23: What We Fear

**Hey, guys! I'm back and with two chapters! :D**

**The next three chapters are pretty dark/sad. However, each of them WILL end on a somewhat uplifting note. Just thought that I'd let you guys know. **

**Oh, flashback alert. Do you guys hate flashbacks? I personally love them, but I know some who despise them. Either way, there are going to be a plethora of them in the next three chapters. Prepare yourself either way, I guess.**

**Review Responses:**

**SMF:**** Thanks! :) I'm impressed that you were willing to read through Voice's diary. xD**

**Yeah, your theory is right. I did try to make it somewhat obvious, but I'm sure that some people haven't caught on. Fanfic readers can be pretty lazy (and I'm not judging, I can be totally lazy when reading fanfics too!).**

**Phoesong:**** Thanks for reviewing! :) Heh, I'm actually pretty proud of the magicant deteriorating thing. ;)**

**I'm going to say right now that I'm not really a fan of resurrection (says the person whose main villain is resurrected). Well... Kuma is different because she changed so much after death, but in general I don't like reviving people because it kinda takes emphasis away from their death. :( It's still a possibility, but don't count on it.**

**PK Love Gamma:**** I can almost feel the stream-of-consciousness in your review! xD I'm glad that you thought that it was deep. Heh, VoicexLucas would be SUPER weird because they're the same person... now I'm weirding myself out. D: I do see a lot of NessxLucas, which is one reason why I don't really do it myself. Oh, and this chapter is possibly even more emotional... not sure if that's good or bad. xD**

**A Fan:**** As for Magicants connecting, it's possible! :) Actually, I don't think that Claus has ever seen the masked man. Pretty much everyone else has, though (Jeff and Ness have seen his files and pics).**

**Wow, that's some serious crunching. I don't think that you left anyone out (not anyone that I can think of, at least). As for Ana, I have quite a bit on her this chapter. ;) I actually really like writing about Ana, even though most of it is super sad. Ninten and Lloid still have parts to play as well. :) **

**As always, thanks for reviewing! Sometimes, I feel that you understand my story better than I do! xD**

**Guest:**** Umm... is that good or bad? xD I'm glad that my writing is making an impact, but I'm sorry that you're crying internally. :(**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Phew, I just caught your review before I was about to publish this! Close call, huh? :D**

**I'm glad that you liked the Lucas and Voice thing! :) Voice is one of my favorite characters (probably... fourth favorite, haha), and I'm probably more like Lucas than any other character (or at least, I like to think that I am xD), so that part was really fun to write. Yeah, I was pretty pleased with how the Monotoli thing came out, considering that it came out of nowhere. I wasn't planning to put him in; it just sort of... happened. :)**

* * *

_It is wonderful that I can still find joy in this life of unrelenting pain._

_It's not so bad, really. As long as I can talk to another human being, I can put my problems into perspective. _

_Perspective… That is what people lack when they sacrifice themselves to solitude._

* * *

Ana staggered through the alleys of New Pork like a zombie, no longer feeling the cold from the raindrops that continued to torment her. Her dress was cut in a dozen different ways and her hair had become as stiff as straw, but she didn't care. How could she, after three days on the streets without food or shelter after escaping from that cyborg girl? Her home had been razed to the ground, leaving only a heap of wood and broken dreams. Only three days since then… It had felt like an eternity. The person that Ana was before then felt distant and surreal. She couldn't imagine herself laughing or smiling. Not in this world of dull agony.

_You will be dead in three days… _That had been the cyborg girl's prediction, and it looked to be accurate.

Ana didn't think that she could take another day. She didn't _want _to take another day. Thunder sounded in the distance and rain continued to pour from the vengeful sky. Ana coughed weakly, leaning her back against a wall and closing her eyes. She was so tired… a little rest couldn't hurt, could it?

Ana vaguely saw a man with a face as hard as stone approach her cautiously, knife in hand.

"You're coming with me, girlie," the thug snarled. "I don't want any trouble, now. You'll be good, won't you?"

He laughed in mirth.

Ana didn't care enough about the man to respond, instead choosing to lean her head back and let some of the water trickle into her parched mouth.

"Are you ignoring me?" The thug asked incredulously.

Ana didn't react.

"All right, let's see you ignore this!" the thug snarled.

Ana wearily opened her eyes to see the thug walk right up to her with a confident sneer on his face, knife pointed aggressively at Ana.

"PK Freeze gamma," Ana whispered without emotion.

Ice formed around the thug, locking him with a dropped jaw and wide eyes. He fell to the ground and the ice shattered into a million shards, some of them scratching Ana's skin. The man's face was now blue in death. Looking at his corpse, Ana felt… nothing at all, unless being tired counted.

_This is what it's like, isn't it? _Ana asked herself in a monotone, uncaring voice. _This is how it feels to be one of the hollow-eyed people in the slums of New Pork. _

Ana sunk down to a sitting position, closing her eyes again. If she couldn't feel regret about killing someone, she probably didn't deserve to live. This would be a good place to die…

"Ana!"

Ana's eyes shot open, giving her newfound energy.

"Can't you see me, Ana?" came a friendly, mocking voice.

Ninten's ghost appeared in front of Ana, a stupid smile plastered onto his face.

"Ninten," Ana said, reverting back to her weary self. "It seems that I've gone insane. Is it bad that I don't care?"

"Ana, I'm insulted that you don't think I'm real!" Ninten responded in mock surprise. "Heh. Even if I am just an figment of your insanity, what's the harm in engaging me in a friendly conversation?"

"I want to rest, Ninten," Ana explained with a sigh, the weight of her eyelids forcing her eyes shut once more. "Will you leave me to fade away here?"

"Nope," Ninten said matter-of-factly. "You're going to live."

Ana snorted.

"You can't force me to live," Ana replied, refusing to open her eyes. "Besides, there's nothing that you can do. My death has already been foretold."

"Kumatora's predictions of the future aren't set in stone, Ana. Do you remember the many worlds theory of quantum physics?"

"Every time a decision is made, multiple universes are created, each universe following one result of that decision," Ana replied instantly.

"Exactly. Kumatora is only seeing one of those universes," Ninten asserted with a triumphant smile.

"The many worlds theory is a _theory, _Ninten. Unless you can prove it here and now, I don't see why I should be wasting my time."

"I can prove it," Ninten's ghost said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh? Pray tell," Ana replied skeptically.

"You are going to live right now," Ninten announced confidently. "Well… I suppose that's not really proving the theory. I guess I lied. You _will _live, though. You just need to remember who you are."

"I know who I am, Ninten," Ana responded with a heavy sigh. "I'm just another hollow-eyed person in the slums of New Pork City."

Ninten smiled mischievously.

"We will see," he said in challenge. "I will show you a part of yourself that you have forgotten."

"How?" Ana asked.

"Memories."

An icy feeling rush down Ana's spinal cord.

_Memories… bring nothing but pain. _

"I can't take my memories!" Ana exclaimed. "Why do you think that I suppressed them in the first place?"

"Let me put it this way," Ninten said in an explanatory tone. "You don't want to die unless you know who you really are. If you decide that you want to die after seeing these memories, that's cool. But don't kill yourself now. Trust me on this one, Ana."

Ana desperately wanted to push back but couldn't deny his expertise in the area of death.

"Fine," she huffed.

"I thought that you would see reason," Ninten said with a victorious smile. "You always do, in the end."

Suddenly, Ana felt the world swirl around her.

* * *

**Two years ago: **

"Take that, nerd!" one of the boys shouted as he drove his fist into Ana's stomach.

Ana had been enrolled in one of New Pork's schools and ended up being a model student. Such success, however, provoked jealousy. Here, five boys stood around Ana in one of New Pork's filthy back streets, taking turns punching her.

"Please, stop…" Ana whispered weakly.

_Why do they have to be so mean? _she wondered in vain. _What did I ever do to them? _

"Oh, what are you going to do?" another one of the boys asked mockingly. "Are you going to cry like a baby?"

Right as he said those words, tears came to Ana's eyes. She tried to hold them in, but they wouldn't be denied. More mocking laughter came from all five boys. Ana fell to the ground from the force of the next punch. She tried to curl herself into a ball, hoping to hide from the outside world.

"Are you going to tell the teacher?"

"What a crybaby!"

"How does it feel now, nerd?"

"Why won't you stand up and fight?"

"Why are you imitating a pill bug? Not that it's a bad fit..."

"Please stop," Ana whispered again, trying to block out their words made of sticks and stones. "Please. I never did anything to you."

"Never did anything to us?" One of the boys snarled. "You made us look dumb! Do you think that you could just get away with that?"

"I…" Ana had no words that could overcome those of the five bullies.

She started sobbing.

"Hey, look!" One of the boys exclaimed, pointing at a bulge in Ana's coat pocket. "What do you have there?"

He reached in and took out a snow globe. It depicted a cartoony snowman wearing a red scarf and top hat standing next to a cozy, brick house surrounded by hearty, evergreen trees. The boy shook the snow globe, sending white, fluffy powder up into the air. The powder gently snowed down, eventually landing back on the ground.

"Don't touch that!" Ana exclaimed in alarm.

"Try to stop us!" The boy shouted cruelly. "Hey, who wants a turn with this thing?"

"Please!" Ana begged. "That's all that I have left of my parents…"

"You hear that?" one of the boys asked. "The nerd had _parents._" He turned to Ana. "You know, nerd, not all of us are so lucky to have parents that didn't leave us in an alley."

It was all too much for Ana to take.

"No, please… no!"

Ana felt so _helpless. _Could she do nothing to preserve the only keepsake that she had of her parents? She still remembered her father's warm smile and her mother's empathetic eyes.

_No, I can't forget them! _Ana thought, assuming in her desperation that all memories of her parents would be lost if the snow globe was soiled.

"I have an idea," one of the boys suggested. "If this means so much to the nerd, we should break it!" The other boys voiced their enthusiastic agreements.

One of them, however, did not look like he was on board with the idea.

"Isn't what we did enough?" he asked cautiously. "She made us look like fools, so we roughed her up a bit. Shouldn't we leave it there?"

"You're no fun, Ninten," one of the other boys replied in contempt.

"Yeah, you want us to respect a _nerd?_"

"Ninten, have you grown soft and weak over the years?"

The boy, whose name was apparently Ninten, took a step back and raised his hands defensively, giving Ana an apologetic look.

"Well, since Ninten's just a sissy, you three hold her down and I'll smash this stupid little toy," one of the boys said with a wicked smile.

"No…" Ana moaned.

She looked helplessly at Ninten, who was gritting his teeth.

"If you want to stop us, then you'll have to fight us," the boy holding the snow globe asserted.

"You expect her to fight you in a four vs. one?" Ninten asked, intentionally excluding himself from the equation.

He received no response.

"You… don't want me to try to fight you," Ana said, voice shaking in terror.

The boy holding the snow globe snarled.

"You pretentious little bitch!" he roared, pure venom in his words. "You think that _you_ can honestly beat _us_ in a fight? All right, let's try this!"

_No, please… _Ana begged, a river of tears springing from her eyes. _Don't make me do this!_

The four boys rushed at Ana, punching and kicking any body part that they could reach. Ninten cried out in alarm.

"Please stop," Ana whispered.

One of the punches hit her eye, causing agony to flood from her face.

"No… please… I…"

One of the kicks hit Ana in the stomach, causing her to gag as she tried not to barf.

"I… can't… control…" Ana was cut off by a kick to the mouth, causing her lip to crack and bleed.

Ana vaguely noticed Ninten trying to pull one of the boys away. He was shoved aside and landed on the concrete face-first.

"Stop…please…" Ana moaned.

They didn't stop. They just kept beating her mercilessly. It must have lasted minutes.

"I SAID STOP!" Ana screamed, fire unconsciously flowing from her fingertips and engulfing the four boys surrounding her.

Ana watched in horror as the boys started to burn away. Their _screams _were so pained… those screams would haunt her for countless nights after. Ana forced herself to watch as the flames fully engulfed the boys like an embrace from mothers that they never had. One by one, they fell dead on the concrete.

"You…" Ninten said in awe and fear. "You could have done that all along, and you took the pain until you were forced to fight back?"

"As much as pain hurts, it hurts me more to harm other people," Ana whispered, feeling guilt and shame ravage her body. "That's something that I learned from a stupid little boy who was too kind for his own good. But… I wasn't strong enough! I couldn't control my powers…"

Ninten looked up into her broken eyes curiously.

"We assumed that you were weak too," Ninten explained. "But to be able to take all of that pain and not fight back for so long… that is true strength. I am _so _sorry for participating in that awful event."

Ninten seemed aghast at his own actions, looking at his own hands in horror.

"I killed four people today," Ana whispered weakly, not able to fully comprehend that fact. "I am a monster."

"You did all that you could," Ninten offered.

"And yet I am still a monster."

Ninten walked up to Ana until their faces were close enough to kiss. He smiled.

"No," Ninten said vibrantly. "You're not a monster. You're the most wonderful person I've ever met."

* * *

Ness waded in water that came up to his knees, feeling it ripple around his skinny legs. It was about the temperature of a lukewarm bath, putting Ness at ease. He had been walking in this sea for what seemed like years, never seeing anything except for water and the morphing sky above.

Ness stumbled upon a patch of land. That in itself seemed so odd that Ness stared at it for minutes. With a start, he realized that on the piece of land stood a golden statue that held a short sword and wore radiant, devilish horns. Ness felt a shiver rush down his spine.

_A Mani Mani statue… _Ness had seen those things corrupt people before, Monotoli being one of them.

The statue opened its golden eyes and looked at Ness in indifference.

"Hello, Ness," it said in a monotone voice. "I am the nightmare that resides in you. And how I have grown in the past few months…" the statue chuckled wryly.

"The nightmare?" Ness asked.

"I am everything that you fear," The statue announced dramatically. "And I will destroy you!"

Ness held up his baseball bat in challenge as the world around him turned dark. Ness could still see himself, but everything else around him was just… black.

Suddenly, tarantulas the size of dinner plates rose from the darkness and skittered towards Ness, causing him to freeze in fear. Ness _hated _spiders, and these gargantuan arachnids caused him to shudder in terror as they skittered along the darkness. Ness raised his baseball bat and squashed the oncoming spiders, their blood splattering and getting all over him. However, spiders spawned from the darkness at an increasing rate. As Ness squashed one spider, two more hairy arachnids took its place.

Ness felt a sense of panic ensue in him.

"PK Rockin Beta!"

Hexagons flew from Ness' mind, slicing each of the tarantulas in two. Ness was breathing heavily from terror rather than lack of oxygen.

_Was that all of them? _

Apparently not, as more of them appeared from the depths of Magicant's poisoned earth.

_How can I win? _Ness asked himself.

Eventually, Ness couldn't keep up with onslaught of spiders. First one and then more of them crawled onto Ness' body, biting him with their venomous fangs. Ness let out an anguished wail as he fell to the ground, smacking into the darkness below. As soon as they came, the spiders vanished. Ness looked around and saw the Mani Mani statue standing in front of him.

"You cannot beat me," the statue asserted calmly. "That was just a taste of the fear that you will experience."

Ness smashed his baseball bat into the statue with all of his might.

"PK Rockin Omega," The statue said nonchalantly, and hexagons of pure psionic energy assaulted Ness.

"Lifeup gamma!" Ness countered, using the ability to recover the surely lethal damage.

"I see that you need a bit more time to succumb to your destiny," the statue mused and disappeared.

The world around Ness now shaped into Onett, his home town. Ness was standing outside of his house. Birds chirped brightly in the background. In front of him, Ness saw younger versions of both himself and his mother. This younger version of himself looked to be about eight. Neither of them noticed him there.

"Mother," the younger Ness said in pained disbelief. "What are you saying?"

"I told you," his mother replied harshly.

That shook Ness. He had never seen his mother like this when someone else was in pain. _This isn't real, _Ness reminded himself. _It's just a dream… _

"Why?" the younger Ness asked hopelessly.

"Your father doesn't make enough money to support two children and pay off our debt to Porky's family, even with all of the hours he puts in," his mother explained heartlessly. "We have to say goodbye to one of our children, and Tracy is too young. Goodbye, Ness."

The younger Ness grabbed onto his mother's hand, horrified tears streaming from his eyes.

"Mother, please! I'll do more chores, I'll get a job… please don't leave me!"

His mother snorted.

"Nobody will hire an eight year old. As for chores, you said that you would help out more last year. How did that go?"

Young Ness only looked up to his mother with baby eyes.

"Bah!" she exclaimed, sneering in disgust. "Your father and I never really _liked_ you, Ness. Why do you think we had a second child? It's because the first was so unsatisfactory!"

"Please," young Ness begged. "I'll do anything!"

"Then go to the orphanage for us," his mother said harshly. "That will be the most useful thing that you will ever do for our family."

She shook of young Ness' hand in disgust and went into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Young Ness fell to his knees, quietly sobbing.

The world around Ness turned black again.

_That wasn't real, that wasn't real… _Ness repeated to himself.

The golden statue appeared once more. Ness wasn't as quick to raise his baseball bat in challenge this time.

"Even if that only affected you a miniscule amount, I have an infinite number of scenes like this," the statue said. "Eventually, you _will _break."

Ness smacked the statue halfheartedly with his baseball bat, provoking a scathing laugh.

"I think that you'll crack after the next one," the statue said with a cruel sneer.

The statue disappeared and Ness was back in Onett.

This time, Ness was watching from inside of his house. His mother was cooking and Tracy was playing with dolls in the downstairs room, both looking mildly bored.

Suddenly, a couple of pigmasks barged into the house, brandishing guns. Tracy dropped her dolls in terror while Ness' mother calmly put down the pan that she was carrying.

"Heh, I've got bad news for you," one of the pigmasks said in glee.

"Is it about Ness?" his mother asked, eyes widening in terror.

"In a way," the pigmask replied. "You see, he was working for us, but he abandoned an important mission. We don't take that stuff lightly."

"Did you… kill him?" Tracy squeaked in a horrified voice.

"No, we're going to hurt him much more than that," the pigmask answered with a laugh. "We're going to kill YOU."

One of the pigmasks rushed up and snatched Tracy while the other one grabbed Ness' mother. Ness ran forward to try to stop the pigmasks, but he passed right through them. It was just an illusion.

"You know," the pigmask holding Tracy said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Maybe we should have some fun with this."

He put away his gun and took out a long knife that glistened in the light. Tracy shivered in fear.

"No," Ness begged, even though nobody was listening. "No, please…"

The pigmask drove the knife into Tracy's stomach, twisting it with all of his might. Tracy _screamed_, closing her eyes and thrashing helplessly. The pigmask just laughed, pulling the knife out and stabbing Tracy again.

"No!" Ness shouted. "Nononono!"

He was completely powerless to stop any of this!

_It's just a dream, _Ness told himself, but that wasn't right. The anguished look on his mother's face was too real. Tracy's vivid scream was too real.

The pigmask kept stabbing Tracy, provoking progressively weaker screams each time. Eventually, her wails turned into weak moans, begging for nothing but the end to her pain. After what seemed like centuries, Tracy's pale body fell to the ground, splashing in a pool of blood.

"You…" Ness' mother accused in horror. "How can you be so _evil?_"

Her anguish-twisted face became branded in Ness' mind.

"Heh, it's your turn to have some fun," the pigmask that killed Tracy told his partner.

"NO!" Ness screamed, his throat raw. "I CAN'T GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN!"

The scene faded around him.

"And you don't have to," the golden statue replied as it materialized.

"I give up," Ness whispered.

The statue smiled sadly.

"I'm glad that we could come to this understanding," it said.

It raised a golden sword, ready to plunge it into Ness' heart of iron. Ness closed his eyes, accepting his dark fate.

"PK Love Beta!"

Ness' eyes bolted open to see the statue being thrown back by a barrage of hexagons. Lucas floated down and landed on the ground of darkness, giving Ness a shy smile.

"Paula says hi."


	24. Chapter 24: What We Should Fear

**Ch. 24! Woot woot!**

**Oh, I added this at the same time as ch. 23, so you should read that first if you haven't already. :)**

**By the way, Ana is 14, meaning that she was 12 in the last flashback.**

**More unorthodox philosophy from Ness today! :D I like that character more than I probably should. xD**

**Well, I don't have anything else to say, so enjoy!**

* * *

_I'm alone again._

_I know that it will be temporary, but I find myself reverting back to my old mentality. That scares me._

_But…_

_At least I have hope to hold onto this time._

* * *

Ana gasped as if she had almost drowned, coming back to the present time.

"There's a reason that I suppressed that memory, Ninten!" Ana accused, knowing in the back of her mind that she had already had this conversation. Ana sighed and looked down at the rainwater flowing around her. "It's… so sad. I couldn't take it."

"You couldn't," Ninten agreed empathetically, "But now you can."

"No I can't!" Ana shouted. "You don't understand how much I lost that day. I'm a pathetic, _pathetic _excuse for a human being!"

"Ana, please, this self-pity-"

"It's not self-pity!" Ana yelled. "It's basic logic. I've never done anything right. Ever! That day took away my hope… it was the nail in my coffin!"

"You'll lose even more if you die," Ninten whispered, turning away sadly. "I know what it's like."

Ana didn't know what to say to that. So she said nothing and sat there, slowly developing what felt like hypothermia in the rainstorm.

"What now?" Ana asked. "I relived my worst memory-"

"That wasn't your worst," Ninten interrupted. "I still have two more for you to experience from when you were even younger. One of them is worse, but the one that I'm giving you first might be better."

"It _might _be better," Ana said in dissatisfaction. "Oh, joy."

"You have to know the pain, Ana," Ninten said. "Trust me, you don't want to die until you've faced your past."

"I think that I'm just going to stay here," Ana said darkly. "I don't need more painful memories to make my decision."

"Sometimes, painful memories give you life," Ninten said optimistically, bobbing up and down through air.

"Are you going to force me to relive those memories?" Ana asked harshly. "Because if you are, I'm just going to use PK Beam on myself."

"No, of course not!" Ninten exclaimed, floating back a few inches. "It's your decision. But I highly recommend reliving them. This is coming from someone who knows what it's like to die."

Ana saw the pain in Ninten's eyes and something clicked in her mind. She nodded.

"All right," she said hesitantly. "I _really_ don't want to do this, but I trust you."

Ninten smiled.

"I think that you can take it, Ana. You've always been stronger than I."

Ana couldn't describe how good it felt to hear that.

* * *

**Seven years ago:**

Ana looked out of the window of the helicopter and instantly wished that she hadn't. New Pork City was stretched out below her like a blanket. Well, not so much like a blanket. The Empire Pork Building rose higher than the helicopter and there were a plethora of other steel buildings that rose to levels that Ana didn't think were possible.

Ana shrunk back from the view, her heart pounding in her chest. She had always been scared of heights.

"How do you like the view?" Isaac asked.

Isaac was a pigmask that had picked up Ana and was giving her a ride to New Pork.

"Scary," she managed to get out. "And all of the buildings are shiny."

Isaac laughed.

"We are high up, aren't we? I'll try to land as soon as possible. As for the buildings, they're reinforced by steel, which reflects sunlight. That's what makes them shiny."

Ana nodded, trying to think about that instead of…

NO!

Ana felt a searing pain rush through her head. She wouldn't think about _that. _She was here and she was safe.

"Is something wrong?" Isaac asked.

"No!" Ana shouted.

She wouldn't try to be friendly to a pigmask, not after she had seen the kind of people that they were. She assumed that Isaac was as bad as the rest, even though he made an effort to be kind to her. Ana started pouting, but Isaac didn't seem to notice.

"All right, we're going down," Isaac announced.

_We're going to die, _Ana thought weakly. She closed her eyes and braced herself.

It turned out that she had to brace herself for a while, as the helicopter descended rather slowly. Ana caught herself holding her breath and made had to make a conscious effort to inhale slowly. As the helicopter hit the ground, Ana let out a small yelp. Isaac laughed.

"See, that wasn't so scary, was it?"

Ana didn't respond due to a fear she couldn't quite explain.

"Come on now," Isaac said gently, "Let's get out of this machine."

When Ana didn't move, Isaac picked her up and carried her as he hopped out of the helicopter. He set her down and started walking away. Ana followed him, not knowing what else to do.

"Hey, kid, you… can't come with me any further," Isaac said carefully.

Ana didn't understand.

"I don't know where else to go! I'm going with you."

"Sorry, kid," Isaac said with a shrug. "I can't bring you along. It was a risk just to bring you to New Pork."

"You're leaving without me?" Ana asked in disbelief, feeling betrayed in spite of the fact that she hated this man.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do anything!" Isaac exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"You're leaving without me," Ana repeated, mostly to herself.

A feeling of despair sunk into her stomach. Where was she going to go now?

"You could go to school," Isaac offered. "If you go that way and turn left at the orange sign, you'll arrive at a school that will accept you. There, you'll get food and shelter, so long as you pass your classes."

"Mommy and daddy won't be there," Ana whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It won't be the same."

"I'm sorry," Isaac apologized for the third time, "But just think about all of the people that we pigmasks help."

"You don't help _anyone!_" Ana yelled.

They… They… A rage brewed inside of Ana. She pictured Snowman, her home town, and…

NO!

Another headache prevented Ana from remembering. That was good. Ana never wanted to remember ever again. She still felt angry, though. With a war cry, she rushed up and punched Isaac in the leg.

"You MONSTER!" she exclaimed.

"Hey there, kid. Don't you remember who brought you here? I'm trying to help you out."

"Monster, monster…" Ana continued as she hit him, causing no effect whatsoever.

Isaac shrugged and walked out into the streets, leaving Ana bawling.

_I can't go any further, _she thought, looking out at all of the people.

Her parents had warned her to avoid strangers, because strangers would kidnap her and beat her. Looking out into the flood of people, Ana realized that there was no way that she could avoid strangers. On top of that, she had _nobody _that she could rely on. It was just too much for a seven year old child.

"I can't do it!" Ana yelled in anguish.

Walk and turn left at the orange sign… she couldn't do that on her own!

_I'm just going to stand here and die, _she thought, part of her mind laughing at the preposterous idea. _No, I can't die. But… what can I do? _

Ana looked out into New Pork City and saw nothing but treachery. There was no safe haven for her in this city of progress.

_Wait! _

Ana fished around in her coat pocket eagerly and pulling out her special snow globe.

"Mommy and daddy said that this globe would keep me safe if I had to go out on my own," Ana told herself out loud.

Part of her mind snorted at the ludicrous reasoning, but she ignored that part and decided to believe in her parents.

After all, she had nothing else to hang onto.

Ana gripped the snow globe tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white. Closing her eyes, Ana stepped out into the streets of New Pork City, ready to begin her new life…

A life of pain and suffering.

* * *

"How are you here?" Ness asked Lucas after recovering from shock. "Even if you were in your Magicant, coming over to mine would require-"

"Godlike PSI," Lucas finished with a jovial smile. "I heard that one from Paula. Luckily, I have someone who access to that kind of power."

_That's… really scary, _Ness thought.

"Wait," Ness said suspiciously. "Weren't you brainwashed?"

The smile dropped from Lucas' face.

"Yeah," he said softly. "I'm still brainwashed. What's left of me fled to Magicant. But we shouldn't be talking about this now!"

Ness nodded in agreement and glared at the statue made of fool's gold.

"Well, then, isn't this merry?" The statue asked wryly. "I suppose that I'll have to show Lucas the truth!"

"The truth…?" Ness' eyes bulged in realization. "No! Not that!"

"Yes that!" the statue said gleefully and vanished.

A scene appeared in front of Ness and Lucas. In that scene, another version of Ness walked into a steel room in the Empire Porky Building. Inside stood a middle-aged man in a white lab coat who held a vial with green liquid in it. His black hair shone in the electric light, and his charcoal eyes burned with a dull zeal. He was smiling creepily, barely noticing Ness walk in.

"Hello," Ness said coldly (the Ness in the scene, not the real one).

"Who?" The man turned around, and then jumped in surprise. "Ness?"

"Father," Ness responded icily. "Long time no see."

"H-How are you here?" Ness' father asked.

"You and your kind kidnapped me," Ness said evenly, his icy glare causing his father to fidget.

"Ness, you don't understand. We pigmasks…"

"You pigmasks are nothing but murderers," Ness asserted calmly.

His father fumed with anger.

"Ness, I could turn you in for that! Take that back at once!"

Ness met his father's glare as if he didn't notice it.

"Why should I deny the truth?" he asked simply. "You are a _pathetic_ man, father."

"You… I am your father, and you will obey me!"

Ness laughed, but there was no emotion in it.

"You can't scare me, father." Ness looked away darkly. "Not when I have nothing left to lose."

"You've changed," his father said sadly.

"I have," Ness replied. "It's what we humans do when we must. My heart is fortified by walls of steel, not unlike yours."

"You stop that!" his father snapped. "I won't listen to you insult me!"

"You never listen to me anyway," Ness said. "You never have and you never will. It's okay, though. I accept the fact that you are a pathetic little man. This meeting here just confirms my suspicions."

"Pathetic… why, what have you done with _your_ life?" his father demanded.

"At least I didn't abandon my family by _choice!_" Ness snarled.

"I… Ness, can't you see that there are some things bigger than your family?"

"Oh, _my _family, huh? Not yours?"

"You know what I mean."

"I know that you're not my father!"

"You emotional little…" Ness' father caught himself and took a deep breath. "No, I won't descend to your level. I am your father, and I will be a good role model for my disillusioned child."

Ness laughed out of spite, a laugh that eventually turned into a feral growl.

"A good role model? Can you honestly say those words without laughing?"

"I will not listen to this! I am your father-"

"A real father wouldn't abandon his wife and kids. I owe you _nothing!_"

By now, Ness' face was flushed red with anger.

"Tell me, father. Did you ever care about me? Did you ever care about Tracy?"

"Of course I did…" His response sounded somehow reluctant.

"Did you ever care about mother, or did you see her as a tool to satisfy your sexual urges?" Ness finished with a twisted snarl.

Ness' father pulled out a laser gun.

"I WILL NOT listen to this!" he repeated, his eyes showing murderous intent.

"So," Ness whispered after a pause, "You really are gone, aren't you? You point a gun at your own son. That dispels the last of the doubts that I had. If it comes to it, I will kill you without remorse."

"STOP IT!" Ness' father roared, his gun hand trembling.

Ness still couldn't tell if fear or rage made his hand twitch so.

"Why should I?" Ness asked. "Truly great people stick true to their beliefs even when guns are pointed at their heads. I don' think that I'll…"

A shot fired.

"I… see," Ness said coldly as the laser hit Ness' head, not dealing any real damage.

Ness closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He walked up to his father as if he hadn't slept in weeks, grimacing at each sluggish step that he took.

"This will rid the world of a monster," Ness said simply as he pulled out a knife and stabbed his father in the heart.

"You…" his father whispered, rage alight in his eyes.

"Goodbye," Ness said evenly, turning away from his dying father. "Have a nice trip. Don't worry about the return ticket; you won't be needing one."

The scene faded, leaving the real Ness to look away from Lucas' face in shame.

"Oh, yeah!" Lucas shouted at the darkness. "If you think that you can trick me into thinking that Ness actually did that…" Lucas paused and looked at Ness, who was shivering in panic. "You… actually _did_ do that, didn't you?"

"I… did," Ness said, terror creeping into his voice.

_Now the world ends, _Ness thought. _It's all over. _

"Oh," Lucas replied, looking crestfallen. "But hey, let's go. We need to be ready if the statue comes back."

"You… don't hate me?" Ness asked in disbelief.

"I don't like what you did, but I can see that you didn't particularly enjoy watching that, either. Besides, doesn't that statue show you what you fear?"

Ness blinked.

"How did you know?"

"I got some outside info from an… expert. Anyways, that means that you fear becoming the person that you were in that scene. I think that's more important than who you were back then."

Ness remembered his own philosophy: _Make sure that I get better every day. _And… he had! He had come so far from that day where he had killed that scientist in that scene. The fact that he feared lapsing back into emotionlessness… meant that he really cared about being a good person!

Ness sighed in relief and stood up straight.

"Thanks, Lucas. I can see now that even Magicant can't make me dismiss the fear inside of me. And that's good. I _should _fear the scene that I just saw!"

It wasn't about overcoming fear. It had _never been _about overcoming fear.

It was about accepting that fear and dealing with it.

"That's the spirit!" Lucas encouraged, a smile popping back up on his face. "Now, let's kick that statue's gilded butt!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Ness concurred with an impish grin.

"No!" the statue shouted, materializing into view. "How could showing you a painful scene make you stronger?"

"That's the thing," Ness explained. "We can learn from the pain. Show me the most disturbing thing that you can find; it won't affect me now! Because… I know that if I really fear what is being shown, I'm on the right track!"

"Impossible!" The statue exclaimed in disbelief.

"Let's put this thing out of its misery," Lucas said in contempt.

Ness nodded, his determined eyes meeting Lucas'.

"PK Rockin Omega!" Ness shouted.

"PK Love Beta!" Lucas followed.

Hexagons flew out of their brains and into the world outside. Ness' and Lucas' psionic hexagons touched each other and _augmented, _joining together to create hexagonal prisms that _smashed _into the golden statue, smashing it to rubble. Ness sighed in relief and gave Lucas a high-five.

"Man, you rocked!" Ness exclaimed.

"Well, you were the one that was really rockin…" Lucas joked.

Ness laughed and found that it felt surprisingly good.

"Hey Ness," Lucas said after a pause. "Paula told me to ask you about her faults. She said that you love to go off on that."

"Paula can be _stubborn_ when she feels like it," Ness responded instantly. "She's rash and overconfident to a fault, she nitpicks often, she can complain about the same thing for weeks when nobody else is interested in hearing her talk… and she is a wonderful, _wonderful _person."

Lucas laughed.

"Well," Lucas said. "It was great seeing you and hearing about Paula. I should go back to my Magicant. I hope that Voice is all right."

"Voice?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, he's someone who looks _exactly _like me. We live in Magicant together. It turns out that he was helping me all along, unconsciously guiding my battles. That's why I was able to beat you."

"Huh," Ness said. "That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard, but it sounds cool. A duplicate that gives you free battle skills? Can I say yes to that enthusiastically enough? Why can't I get one?"

Lucas smiled.

"Well, he can be a bit annoying at times. I'll be sure to tell him all about you. Goodbye, Ness."

A brick bridge materialized in front of Lucas, who started walking away on it without hesitation.

"Goodbye, Lucas," Ness whispered even though he knew that Lucas couldn't hear. "I always learn a lot from you… and I hope that I don't have to face your brainwashed vessel of a body anytime soon."

Ness smiled as Lucas walked away on the bridge, growing smaller and smaller until he became nothing more than a dot in the massive world of Magicant.


	25. Chapter 25: The Only One That Knows

**Hi, everyone! I'm here with ch. 25, but ch. 26 is probably going to take a while to come out. This is because:**

**1\. I have a Calc BC final tomorrow (and that class is rough because everyone in it is an A student but the teacher only gives out about half As), and a Chem final the day after, so I won't be able to work much.**

**2\. It's ****_really long _****(maybe 5k words...?) and I need to add something to it (and yes, I really do ****_need _****to add it. It's pretty vital to Claus' character).**

**Anyways, ch, 25. It's probably the saddest chapter (8 is darker, but this one is sadder). :( However, I would also say that it might be the most uplifting. Just hang in there! :) Oh, and it's all Ana POV, so I hope that you like her (as a character, I mean... xD). Ch. 26 ties a bunch of stuff together (POV for Jeff, Ness, Claus, Kuma, Lucas, and more... phew!), but this chapter and ch. 27 aren't very long. I felt like I had a really good ending spot for this one, so I moved some stuff over to the next chapter.**

**Oh, and for those of you that care, I thought that it was pretty fun to write from Ana's POV as a seven year old. I'm not sure if any of you were like this, but as a little kid I was both highly emotional and highly logical (still am, kinda...), so I would throw a bunch of tantrums but there would be a voice in the back of my head that would tell me that I'm overreacting. I tried to incorporate that into Ana's flashbacks last chapter and this one (oh yeah, spoiler alert, there's another flashback). This chapter in general felt really good to write because it has a lot of stuff that I want to get out. **

**I only used 3 emoticons this time. Yay...?**

**Review Responses:**

**Guest:**** Thanks! :) **

**SMF:**** Well, we get to see what happens to Ana now! :) More sad stuff ahead, though... :( Lucas' acquaintance... I dunno if I should say. I guess I will (it's not all that mind blowing). It's Voice. He set up the meeting between Lucas and Claus back in ch. 11, too.**

**And I got "I SAID STOP!" directly from Namine (how do you do the accent mark?). For the longest time, I could remember the words and the voice, but I couldn't remember who said it. xD Then one day I was like, "Oh, that's Namine! Why didn't I remember that?" KH is pretty sweet. :) I do feel that some people go overboard with that series, though...**

**PK Love Gamma:**** You didn't get a feel trip with the Ana flashbacks? Guess I did something wrong. xD Those were supposed to be sad. And I don't play PMD, so I don't have any advice. Sorry!**

**A Fan:**** Hey, I just saw that I forgot to answer your question about the protagonist. I am SO sorry. .**

**I consider Lucas, Ness, and Claus to all be protagonists (but even then I don't really draw a thick line between a protagonist and supporting character; I kinda feel that Ana falls in the middle). If I had to choose one person that I would say is the protagonist, though, I would pick Claus. He has the most POV text (I think...) and goes on a pretty stereotypical journey, so he fits the description well in my head. If you see Lucas as the protagonist, though, that's cool :) My opinion isn't the only (or even the best) one with regards to my story. **

**Yeah, I was pretty surprised when you predicted the Magicant thing. Great call! :)**

**You bring up an interesting point with the pain thing, because in my story (and irl imo) pain can either help or hurt someone depending on the length of the pain and the character's mindset. A dull, constant pain is more destructive, while a quick sharp pain can snap someone back into focus. I feel that pain makes Ness, Lucas, and Paula stronger, makes Lloid, Kumatora, Voice, and Poo weaker, and has mixed results for Ana, Jeff, Claus, and Ninten. Again, feel free to disagree! :)**

**As for Porky with time traveling, yes. I don't have a specific explanation for how all of that stuff happened, but I'm just saying that it worked out that way. :)**

**Ohmygosh I love Chrono Trigger! :) I never use the dual techs, though (I didn't think about that with Ness and Lucas). My strategy is to throw all of my best defensive gear and buffs on Marle so she becomes practically invincible and use her to buff/heal/revive the other two, both of whom spam their most powerful tech. I dunno if that's a good strategy (the game's pretty easy haha), but it works for me. :)**

**Oh man, that was so much text! xD I hope that you don't mind. :P**

* * *

_The end draws near; I can feel it in these old bones of mine._

_If we lose… something so terrifying will happen that my hand shakes whenever I try to write it down._

_That is why we cannot lose._

_There is no other option._

* * *

"See, that wasn't so bad," Ninten encouraged jovially.

"I believe we have different definitions of 'not so bad,'" Ana replied bitterly, noticing once more the icy cold of the raindrops that soaked her.

Ninten laughed, not unkindly.

"Ana, I know you well enough to tell that you're not as hurt as you look by that memory."

"Hmph," Ana huffed.

_Ninten knows me too well for my own good, _she thought.

Ninen's smile broadened.

"So," he said casually. "What's really bugging you?"

"I think I know what the last memory that you're going to show me is, and I _am not _reliving that. It was painful enough to suppress that memory in the first place!"

"Pain can sharpen your purpose, Ana. Just one more memory, that's all I need to show you."

"No." Ana crossed her arms and turned away.

"Well then," Ninten started with a sigh. "I suppose that you'll just stay here and die without ever knowing the truth. It's funny to see you refusing to learn about your past considering how hard you worked to learn about science." Ninten paused in thought. "Although, I guess I am grateful that you didn't manage to beat me in this last challenge… We both die without facing our past. I guess you're not good enough, just like I wasn't."

Ninten started to float away.

_You little… _Ana's rage began to boil.

"Wait!" Ana exclaimed. Ninten turned around, trying to hide a smile. "I'll see the last memory. Damn you, though, and damn my competitive nature. I never knew that you could be so cunning."

Ninten broke into a grin.

"Think about it this way, Ana. If the memory is painful, you can always kill yourself after with the full knowledge of your past."

The world swirled around Ana for the third time.

* * *

**Seven years ago: **

"Mommy?" Ana asked weakly, plodding through the deep snow with all of her might. "Daddy?"

It was scary being alone. Once, Ana had seen seven as an old age, but she was still a baby, really. The wind howled in agony as it whipped by Ana, stinging her unprotected face. She was lucky that she wore a heavy coat, snow pants, gloves, and a scarf. The winter's wind was cruel and unforgiving. Snow fell around Ana, but she hardly noticed.

"Mommy?" She asked, louder this time.

The only response was the howling of the wind.

Ana felt panic rise through her system. Her parents were abandoning her! They promised never to leave her, no matter what happened, but… they were leaving her. They _had _to be leaving her. Ana's terrified mind wouldn't accept any other explanation. She ran faster through the snow, remembering that she was running away from the scary man in the pig mask as well as towards her parents.

In her haste, Ana tripped and fell face first into the snow. Her face burned from the cold, and Ana started crying. She would never make it! The town of Snowman was so far away… Ana couldn't possibly do it on her own!

_Focus, _she told herself. _You just tripped. _

Realizing that she was making a big deal out of nothing, Ana struggled to a stand and continued to walk towards the place where she told herself that her parents would be. Tear residue froze on Ana's cheeks, burning her further. She started to feel light headed and struggled to keep her balance. The wind whipped by Ana with a mocking howl, almost blowing her away like a leaf.

_Baby steps, _she told herself. _I have to take baby steps. _She could focus on that, right? She put one foot in front of the other, not thinking about her parents or the scary people in pig masks. She blocked out all of the sounds of explosions in her mind. She put one foot in front of the other. That was all that mattered. The wind laughed in the background.

Ana couldn't have said how much time had between then and when she had arrived at Snowman. Her face was numb from the cold, but she still felt a sense of relief. This was her home. She would be safe here, right?

Ana noticed the desolation around her.

Houses were reduced to piles of splinters and massive trees had been toppled. With a sense of terror, Ana remembered the weird flying things (she thought that they were called "missiles") that exploded. Had they caused all of this damage? Ana's panic renewed. If the explosions could take out a house, what would her parents be like? Would her mother be missing an arm, leg, or even her head?

_No, _Ana told herself. _They're fine. They said that they would always be there for me… _

Her fear somewhat reduced, Ana uneasily walked into town. Where was everyone? Normally, people would be out and about, even in this cold weather. Ana's anxiety bubbled back into fear. The wind whooshed past her, but she almost didn't notice over her alarm. Ana broke into a sprint, almost tripping herself again.

In the distance, Ana saw a field of people lying down. She rushed over to them to see what they were doing. As she arrived at the first person (a boy not much older than Ana), she noticed the red snow around him. That's weird… snow wasn't usually red…

That was when Ana saw the dark wound under his jacket. Something primal in Ana screamed in horror as she gasped. It was like a boo-boo, but… as large as a tennis ball. Ana didn't have any Band-Aids that could fix him up. In her dismay, Ana realized that this boy must have bled gallons due to the amount of red in the snow. Her parents always said that bleeding was bad.

Ana looked at the boy's face and saw that his eyes were closed.

"Hey!" Ana shouted weakly. "You're hurt! Open your eyes!"

No response. Was this the "death" that Ana's parents talked about in hushed voices? Ana had talked extensively about death to prove her strength (she figured that if grown-ups wouldn't talk about it then it must be scary), but she had never expected it to be like _this_.

"No," she told herself out loud. "He's just hurt and will wake up soon. Mommy and daddy will know what to do…" Ana trailed off as she saw _her parents _lying down in the red snow.

"Mommy!" Ana yelled in alarm as she rushed towards them. "Daddy!"

Ana knelt down, looking at her parents' wounds. Her mother was bleeding from a hole in her stomach while her father's crimson wound was located on his chest.

_No, _Ana thought her heart sinking into her stomach.

"Wake up!" Ana shouted. "Mommy! Daddy! You said that you'd be there for me!"

No response.

"Wake up… please. You need to put Band-Aids on your cuts."

More blood flowed from the wounds, getting over Ana's clothes. Ana's parents' eyes remained closed.

"Don't leave me here, please…" Ana begged, tears blurring her vision. "I can't live on my own!"

It was true. She had no way to get food and the scary pig people might hunt her down. She needed her parents to wake up quickly. Ana knelt down to her father's ear.

"Wake up!" She shouted as loud as she could. "Don't just lay there!"

Her father didn't change his empty expression.

"No!" Ana wailed. "No! You said that you would protect me! You have to keep your promise! I can't live on my own! I love you, mommy and daddy…"

Snow fell around Ana, obscuring some of the red, obscuring some of the truth. Ana frantically rushed over to her mother and opened one of her eyelids. Upon seeing her mother's eye, Ana let out a yelp.

_Mother's eye… doesn't move! _

Something about the icily still eye creeped Ana out. An eye should move around and examine its surroundings. Ana closed the eyelid, breathing heavily. The picture of her mother's zombie-like eye was seared into her mind.

"Please," Ana whispered weakly. "Please end this. Let's just go back to how we were before. Mommy, you said that you would make hot chocolate for me today. Daddy went out to buy some of my favorite marshmallows and we were going to sit by the warm fire and be happy. Can't we go back to that?"

In the back of Ana's mind, she knew that she would probably never taste her mother's hot chocolate again. She would never hear her father's hearty laugh again. She would never make snow angels with the other kids and show them to her mother again.

Ana blocked out those thoughts.

_I'm going to be fine, _Ana lied to herself. _Mommy and daddy are going to wake up soon. I know they will. We're going to be one happy family again… we have to be one happy family again…_

Something inside of Ana recognized that her words were lies. She _screamed _in anguish.

_I can't take this anymore! I'm freezing and mommy and daddy won't wake up! _

Were her parents… dead?

_NO! _Ana told herself. _They can't be dead. They promised that they'd be there for me. They promised… _

Ana started bawling, hoping that someone, anyone, would care.

Nobody did.

_I should lie down with them, _Ana thought, despair giving way to emptiness. _That way, we'll still be a family together, right?_

As Ana was about to lie down next to her parents and close her eyes, she saw something in her mother's hand. She inched over and pried her mother's hands off of the object. It was a snow globe. The cartoon snowman was _smiling. _What a strange expression.

"I…" Ana couldn't speak.

More tears ran down her cheeks, leaving behind a liquid that burned in the cold. Ana remembered her parents' voices:

"I used to play with that all of her time," her mother had once said. "It was a special gift from your great-grandparents to me. It's very special, so be sure to take good care of it, all right?"

"It kept your mother safe for all of these years," her father added. "Now it's your turn to live under its protection. Make sure to take it with you when you go out. When you have this with you, even the coldest winds won't be able to hurt you."

Ana screamed at the sky until she broke down into a coughing fit.

"The globe kept me safe, but mommy and daddy aren't waking up! I just want to die!"

Ana looked at the snow globe again. The snowman standing in it was _happy. _It took Ana a moment to recognize that emotion; it seemed so foreign to her. Ana looked around at the desolation around her.

She really didn't want to die.

Suddenly, an overwhelming fear overtook her. She didn't want to die! She couldn't die here! But… there was no way to live, was there?

_It will keep you safe, _Ana remembered.

Of course! The snow globe would protect her. When her father had first spoken those words to her, she had rebuffed them. How could a snow globe keep anyone safe? It didn't make sense. But now, Ana didn't so much as hesitate. She had found something to hang onto, and she would cling onto it for dear life.

Ana picked up the snow globe and cradled it in her arms. She brought it up to her chest, squeezing it so hard that it threatened to break. Ana closed her eyes as the frozen wind tried to whip her into submission.

"I'm going to be safe," She whispered desperately.

The wind slashed at her face, sending yet another wave of cold over her face.

"The globe will protect me."

Real snow fell around Ana, erasing all traces of the slaughter.

"I'm going to be safe!" she lied to herself. "Mommy and daddy will wake up… they _have _to wake up! Then we'll be one big happy family again… everything will be okay…"

Ana started to freeze, not knowing that she would be dead in minutes if she couldn't get help.

* * *

"AAAH!" Ana exclaimed. "I… can't take it. Damn you, Ninten!"

"The pigmasks killed your family, didn't they?" Ninten asked sympathetically. "They destroyed your whole town."

Ana shivered in the cold rain. Rain, snow, it didn't matter. Ana's destiny would always take her somewhere cold.

"Why did you think that I could take that?" Ana demanded. "Why did you think that I wouldn't be destroyed by the truth?"

"Because you weren't when you were seven," Ninten answered bluntly.

Ana laughed viciously.

"Ninten, I worshipped a snow globe while I started to freeze! I was shattered by that scene!"

"You cannot rebuild without knowing what the problem was in the first place," Ninten said. "Besides, you had the right idea. All that you needed was something to hang onto when all else was taken from you."

"What do I have to hang onto?" Ana asked. "If you expect me to worship another mundane object…" Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Ana," Ninten said in a steel voice that surprised Ana. "You saw what the pigmasks did to your town. You're the _only one that knows_."

"And?" Ana demanded harshly.

"…And they're planning to do that to the whole world," Ninten continued.

"I don't care!" Ana yelled. "And even if I did, there's nothing that I can do! I'm… too weak."

Ninten raised an eyebrow.

"Surviving all of what you went through is not something that a weak person could accomplish," he maintained.

"Surviving is easy," Ana said scornfully. "It's _living _that's the hard part. I… am physically incapable of feeling bliss, Ninten. Ever since my parents died, I have _never _felt joy! Not once! I'm not really living if I can't feel."

"And will other people be different?" Ninten demanded. "Will other people feel joy as the pigmasks destroy the world?"

"I…" Ana had no response to that.

"Ana," Ninten said, gritting his teeth in pain. "If you think that the destruction that you saw was bad, imagine how it will feel when the _whole world _dies!"

A searing headache overtook Ana.

"Aaaaaah!" she yelled as a picture started to form in her head.

_NO! _Ana told herself. _I… won't let myself see that again! _

But it was too late. She already had.

Ana saw a field of bodies in the snow, each of them leaking blood. The bodies were surrounded by broken heaps of wood and icy snowflakes.

"No!" Ana yelled out loud. "No…"

"And what if people live?" Ninten asked. "What if people live to never feel joy again, _just like you?_"

"AAAAHHHH!" Ana screamed as her head filled with agony.

In the scene, Ana saw herself standing over her parents' corpses.

_No, block it out! _Ana screamed internally. _Please…_

It didn't get blocked out. Instead, it zoomed out.

Ana could see the world from an aerial view. Wherever she looked, bodies lay on the ground. Occasionally, Ana saw someone standing over a heap of corpses, their face twisted in despair. There must have been thousands of corpses and hundreds of survivors.

"That's what happens when the world ends, Ana!"

Ana had felt so much _pain _over the last seven years of her life. And each of these survivors would hurt like she did. But there were hundreds, maybe even _thousands _of them. Ana multiplied her pain by a thousand and received a number that was too large to comprehend.

"NOOOO!" Ana shouted, gasping heavily. "I… suffered so much… and these people… will suffer more. Even if there are survivors, they will each feel the pain that I do. And if there aren't…" Ana trailed off.

If there weren't survivors, everyone would be dead. That was just as scary, if less easily comprehendible.

Ninten nodded sadly.

"I AM SO WEAK!" Ana yelled. "Which… is why I know how it feels. I can't let thousands of people die and others get reduced to the same state that I am at. I can't…"

"You're deciding to live?" Ninten asked hopefully.

Ana struggled to her feet. She almost tripped, but she caught herself on the wall next to her.

"I am weak," Ana repeated, "But I am not so weak to try to prevent my fate from happening to others. I _will _fight, Ninten. My weakness will be my greatest strength. Because through my weakness, I have empathy."

"I can't believe that was actually uplifting, considering the terms that you applied to yourself," Ninten said playfully, "But it was. Trust me, Ana. I know how it feels to look at your parents' dead bodies and know that nothing will ever be okay again."

"You… do?" Ana asked.

"My parents died in a fire seven years ago," Ninten explained. "I suppressed that memory, just like you did. My biggest regret while I was dying was not facing my past. I'm _so _glad that you made it through facing yours, Ana."

For the first time in seven years, Ana felt joy flush through her body, joy that she had accomplished _something_. It made her feel like she could accomplish _anything. _It didn't matter that she was weak and starving.

What mattered was that she was alive.

"We are more alike than I ever knew," Ana whispered. "Just watch me, Ninten! I'll save this damn world so that nobody else will have to know our pain! I'll live through this day and prove Kumatora wrong."

"I don't doubt it, Ana," Ninten replied with an ecstatic smile. "I have to go now that my job is done, but remember… I will always be there in your heart."

Normally, Ana would have snorted in derision, but this time she smiled back.


	26. Chapter 26: Second Guessing

**YESS! My chem final was a partner test and I paired up with my friend who's the best Chemistry student in the entire class (I think he knows it better than the teacher). :D But the Calc BC final was death. . It was so long... 30 questions, some of them with multiple parts, and some parts requiring a derivative, integral, and algebra all in one. All in 85 minutes. Gonna be so glad to take Stats next year.**

**Also, if you haven't noticed, Voice is (or at least appears to be) Lucas from Mother 3.**

**So... this one is really long. Like, ****_really _****long. You know how I said that I was going to add in something?**

**Well, it was a Claus POV that ended up being 2.3k words (that's longer than entire chapters that I've written for this story). Seriously, this chapter is longer than the last two chapters combined. This one is probably going to be the longest chapter, although ch. 30 is fairly close and I'm going to make changes that could possibly make it longer, so... yeah. I was honestly thinking about splitting it into two chapters, but I just decided to lump everything into this chapter.**

**Oh yeah, ****there's talk about rape during the Claus POV****. Nobody gets raped and there's no disturbing imagery (I have to keep this T, after all...), but I understand that it's a sensitive subject for people. I honestly didn't want to put it in, but my characters seemed intent on discussing it... so I was like "Okay, you guys are really weird, but go ahead." It even provided a transition into their next point... so I grudgingly left it in. I guess that's what happens when I create characters that can look at all of New Pork's horrifying aspects head on. DX ****In case you don't want to read it, I marked the section with asterisks.**** It's not vital to the plot, so don't feel guilty skipping it. :) Oh, and if anyone thinks that it violates the "T" rating, please tell me. I personally don't think that it's as bad as some of the gore descriptions that I've given, but maybe I'm hopelessly deluded (wouldn't surprise me).**

**Oh, and another cool/uncool thing about this chapter is that it has pretty much every living character in it. Seriously, there are a total of two living characters who show up in future chapters and aren't in this one, and they're both pretty minor. So, that means that there's something here for everyone!...Unless you hate all of my characters, in which case why are you reading this fanfic? xD**

**Fun fact: This AN + review responses is longer in word count than ch. 3 of this story. That's... pretty scary. DX**

**Review Responses:**

**A Fan:**** Yeah, I guess that I kinda assumed that the deaths would be less of a big deal because there wasn't a whole lot of background given to the people who died and it happened in the past. I guess assuming makes an ass out of you and me. xD **

**Huh, I never thought about the Ness/father/Luke/Vader thing. I haven't seen Star Wars in years (heresy, I know), but I do remember that Luke is the one that freaks out, which is opposite of Ness' scene where his father is the one that loses it.**

**Yeah, one thing that I really wanted to get across in this fanfic is that looking at massive deaths as a group doesn't tell the whole story. Everyone is an individual and hurts like that, but the human brain can't comprehend all of the pain that people must suffer in a slaughter like that. :( I feel like if everyone understood this, there would be a lot less war in general (I even wrote an essay on that for AP Lit).**

**And hey, don't feel like you have to catch every update! Don't get me wrong, I love reading your reviews, but I totally understand if you miss one for whatever reason. :) I just wanted to let you know that there's no pressure from me.**

**The-Great-Me-sama:**** I'm touched that you think that my content is great! :) I work really hard on it, so I'm super glad that other people are enjoying it!**

**Heh, I have all of my rough drafts already written out. All that I have to do is edit my chapters (which still takes quite a bit of time, about 1-2 hours per chapter) and writing these ANs and review responses (45mins-1hr). Honestly, I don't study all that much for finals. xD I'm just not someone who can cram easily. Luckily, I can keep up with work in general, so I don't usually need to cram that much...**

**Soleil:**** I haven't played Mother, so I wouldn't know about Ana's religious beliefs. But in my story, she's not religious at all. She's very science-minded and doesn't think highly of religion in general, although she would never bash it directly (in her mind, religion itself isn't bad, but it tends to perpetrate, shallow, illogical views in people, especially with regards to science). I actually created her character to contrast to Paula. If anyone complains, I can say that she was raised Catholic until her parents died and then she gave up on it after living in New Pork for a while (big cities tend to be less religious in general). **

**Voice is Lucas from mother 3 whose mind was hijacked by the other Lucas (the main one) after his spirit had been forced out of his mind as a result of brainwashing. Voice was then kicked into Magicant, where he wrote the stuff that's at the beginning of each chapter. Voice aided Lucas both directly and indirectly on his quest until Lucas was brainwashed, where he joined Voice in their crumbling Magicant. If you don't remember any of this, you may want to reread ch. 20 and 22. :)**

**Phew, that's a lot of stuff; I hope that you don't mind!**

**JustMe. Hi:**** I'm glad that you can feel for Ana! :) Yeah... you probably want to read ch. 22. Most of it is on Lucas and Voice; it explains a lot.**

**It's possible that Voice is a figment of Lucas' imagination, but remember that Voice:**

**-Knows stuff that Lucas from Mother 3 would (like who Kuma was)**

**-Gives Lucas physical strength**

**So it seems likely that he's at least partially real. I hope that this helps! :)**

**Guest:**** Well, just because Ana's backstory is tragic doesn't mean that Kuma's can't be. And honestly, Ana doesn't have to constantly deal with her agony, not like Kuma or Lloid do. That being said, I'm not saying that your opinion is wrong, even if it's different than mine. :) These characters can be interpreted in a variety of way, and each way has its merits.**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Well, I'm someone who's SUPER emotional, so I guess we're pretty different. :) I view my emotionalness (probably not a real word but idc) as a positive, so I may be biased in what I say.**

**I think that it's good that my fanfic provokes those feelings of sorrow, because it's important to be able to feel those emotions. After all, emotion is what makes us different from robots and feeling sorrow is a pathway to greater empathy. :) Voice, huh... I wonder why he was able to get to you more than others.**

**...And if you think that I'm spouting BS, that's okay too. :) After all, your opinion is just as good as mine!**

**SMF:**** Yup! I like writing about sad stuff, but I try not to kill of characters while they're weak and still have a lot to learn. It just feels so ****_horrible _****when someone dies when they still have so much to do... :(**

**In Chrono trigger, my favorite party is Marle, Chrono, and Ayla. Charm is possibly the best tech in the game; there's so much cool stuff that you can get (speed capsules? Can I say "yes" enthusiastically enough?), Chrono is an all around beast with hybrid damage, and Marle hastes and keeps everyone healthy. My second playthrough, I used your party but didn't use dark eternal. xD I... just really do not like dual or triple techs for whatever reason.**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Thanks for the compliments and the words of encouragement! :) And don't worry about missing reviews! I upload these pretty quickly, so it's only natural that there would be a bit of lag time.**

**I'm really glad that you liked all of my chapters! :) I didn't even think of Tanetane when writing ch. 23. It's always cool to see the connections that people make to the games that I don't notice. That's the beauty of fanfiction! :D And I'm glad that you liked Lucas' entrance; it was something that I tried really hard to get right. **

**Yup, Ness is awesome. :) Is it bragging that I think that my own character is cool? xD I guess that it's because I view them as their own people rather than being my creations. Ness isn't my favorite character, but I do think that he is my greatest accomplishment in my fanfic (either him or Voice). Most of Ness' philosophy comes directly from me, but Ness' beliefs are a lot more organized than mine. This results in me actually trying to imitate Ness in irl situations. Is that weird? xD And yeah, the killing his father part even caught me by surprise when I wrote it. But like you said, Ness' father was a pretty awful parent and this was back when Ness was all messed up. I think that Ness is still an awesome person, in part because he's able to come so far from being like he was in the flashback, and I'm glad that you think so, too! :)**

**It's awesome that you were able to feel for Ana even though she isn't your favorite character! And I do try to write stuff that has a point to it in general. :) I feel like there's a lot of stuff that I want to get out, and Ana, Ness, and Paula are the three characters that I use the most to try to make a point (which is probably why they're my three favorites haha). And one thing that I kinda realized after the fact about Ana and Ninten helping each other out is that it's a karmic circle. Ness originally helped Ana, who in turn helped Ninten, who in turn helped both Ness and Ana, and Ana in turn... well, that'd be a spoiler for this chapter. ;) But yeah, lessons ftw!**

* * *

_I have lost so much._

_It terrifies me that people can change for the worse. I subconsciously assumed that I would always grow rather than shrink._

_Not so…_

_The fact that I am so much worse than when I saved the world two years ago makes me sadder than anyone else will ever know._

(ILH)

The next day, Ana felt refreshed.

_Aw yeah! _She thought. _Kumatora said that I was going to die yesterday, and here I am, still alive and kicking! Suck that, prophecy!_

Ana had gone back to an old teacher at her school and pleaded for help (in New Pork, public schooling ended at age 13, meaning that Ana wasn't allowed to enroll in classes). The teacher had graciously let her sleep in one of the school's spare rooms. Ana had even found some leftover food that wasn't too rotten. It was amazing how much she could do for herself now that she had a purpose. Now Ana was walking vibrantly on the grey streets of New Pork, taking in all of the horrors that she saw with a smile. The air was gross, but she still felt like inhaling as much as she could.

Ana blinked as she saw someone's face. It was a face that she knew.

"Lucas!" she shouted, running towards the boy. "Lucas, is that… whoa, did you die your hair?"

This kid was a redhead rather than having Lucas' blond hair.

"You know Lucas?" the ginger-haired boy asked.

"Err… yes," Ana replied.

"Have you seen him recently?" The boy asked impatiently.

"Um… no, sorry," Ana replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Claus," the boy explained, "Lucas' twin."

Oh. That made sense.

"Like Santa?" Ana asked impishly.

"Hard 's' sound," Claus answered defensively.

Ana giggled.

"I'm just messing with you," she teased.

_Can you use PSI? _Ana asked telepathically, not wanting to discuss PSI out loud.

_Yes… whoa, you can use PSI? _Claus replied in surprise.

_Yup. Um… this is pretty awkward, but do you have a place where I could stay?_

_Err… no, _Claus replied reluctantly. _Sorry. I just got here from Onett. _

_Onett? That walk is brutal. _

Ana remembered how her legs had practically _died _on the journey there.

_Someone murdered my friends, _Claus sent with a deadly look in his eyes, _And I'm here to kill them._

_Okay… _Ana sent slowly. _Maybe we should focus on food and shelter first. I could probably convince my old teacher to let us stay in a spare room for a while. It's pretty beat up, but if you don't have a place…_

_Sounds good, _Claus replied happily. _I have money for food. _

Ana's stomach growled. She laughed without really knowing why.

"I won't complain if you pay for food," she said with a grin. "I'm broke and starving."

"All right," Claus replied, matching her smile. "Sounds like a plan."

Ana wanted to jump for joy. She met a new ally and was going to get food all in one conversation.

_You're right Ninten, _Ana thought, looking up to the sky in joy. _I'm so glad that I got another chance to live!_

* * *

Kumatora walked into the magnificent throne room of the Empire Pork Building, not noticing the lavish decorations while pain flowed through her veins. In the center of the room stood a stunted, fat boy in a robotic capsule who looked ancient despite the fact that he retained a boy's stature. The robotic capsule had spider-like legs that jutted out from the sides. Kumatora had never seen the machine move, but she could tell from the design that it would walk sideways like a crab.

"I have captured and brainwashed the other Lucas, Porky," Kumatora announced casually. "He puts up no resistance. I have already seen his work, and it is satisfactory for our purposes. He was able to kill a PSI user while taking the meddler boy captive to be brainwashed, and all without allowing his victims to utter a single cry in their defense."

"Good…" Porky wheezed, his eyes closed in stasis. "Very good."

_Why does he talk manually? _Kumatora wondered. _He could install something in that machine that would allow him to type without much difficulty. _

"Have you… figured out why there is another Lucas?" Porky asked.

"No," Kumatora replied. "Fassad reported that the new Lucas carried the same personality as the other one, at least during school. However, he was significantly stronger, being able to defeat Ness."

That was not the whole truth. Kumatora had… ideas about why another Lucas existed. But if she was right, it would give Porky too much power. Kumatora wanted to watch the world die, but no more than that.

"Yes…" Porky rasped. "Fassad thought himself clever for that one. If Lucas was the same or weaker, Ness would dispose of him. But since he was stronger, he suited our purposes as a better needle-puller. The best part of the plan is how much it hurt Ness…"

_What does he have against Ness? _Kumatora wondered.

"I have waited so long for this moment…" Porky wheezed, seeming tantalized by the fruits that marked the world's end. "Now with the power of our new brainwashed friend, Ness and his band won't stand a chance."

_Ness isn't the only threat out there, _Kumatora wanted to say, thinking of Claus.

She had replayed their battle over hundreds of times in her head. It was virtually impossible for Claus to have aimed PK Thunder to hit that tree _at the exact right angle _to fall onto Kumatora… right?

_It doesn't matter anymore, _Kumatora reminded herself, shaking her head.

"I had another vision of the future," Kumatora said evenly, looking into Porky's closed eyes. "I saw the world burning. The end is near."

"Very good…" Porky wheezed. "Very good indeed…"

_Finally, everyone will understand, _Kumatora thought with giddy anticipation. _Everyone will understand how it feels to die!_

* * *

Claus followed Ana into a dusty room that looked like it hadn't been used in centuries. Claus wouldn't have been surprised if it _actually _hadn't been used in centuries. Just how old was New Pork, anyway?

_None of that matters now, _Claus thought.

His priorities were avenging Poo's and Dr. Andonuts' deaths and finding Lucas. Nothing else mattered.

Claus laid out the rest of their food on the ground. Ana looked at the pile with a ravenous glint in her eyes.

"Do you want some more food?" Claus asked.

"Well…" Ana bit her lip. "I am hungry, but I already ate a lot…"

From most people, Claus would have assumed that those words were trying to lead Claus to insist that she eat, but Ana seemed to be genuinely concerned about their food supply.

"Well in the end, you have to make the decision for yourself," Claus responded, "But there's plenty of food and I'm not hungry anymore."

Ana thought about that for a second and nodded.

"If that's the case, I think that I'll take some more," she said, nearing Claus as she walked up to the pile of food to pick out a hamburger.

"I'm sorry if I have a bit of body odor going on," Claus said with a wry grin. "I've been on the move for the past three days and there weren't really any places to bathe."

Ana laughed.

"I understand," she said, not even bothering to keep her distance. "I got used to smells like that from living in New Pork for seven years. I've learned to exhale through my nose and inhale through my mouth to lessen the effects of unpleasant stenches."

_Huh, I would expect a girl to be more turned off than that, but okay._

"So, how was it like, living in New Pork for so long?" Claus asked.

"It was pretty rotten," Ana responded honestly. "But hey, there's no point in bitching about it. I mean, painful stuff happened and it sucked, but there's nothing that I can do to change that. It's better to look forward."

"That's a good mindset," Claus encouraged. "I try to do the same thing. I'm trying to look forward… towards the revenge that I will claim for my fallen allies."

Ana raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

_What? _Claus wondered. For someone normally so logical, Claus didn't understand why Ana seemed to harbor reservations about revenge as a legitimate motive.

Suddenly, the door to the dusty room opened, revealing a woman that Claus had never seen before.

"Hey, Ana," the woman said with a motherly smile plastered on her face. "I heard that you came back for a couple of days, so I thought that I'd come by and say hi."

Ana returned the smile politely, almost _too _politely to seem genuine.

"It's nice to see you too, Ms. Li."

"Ana, I think that I found that book that you lost years ago," Ms. Li announced excitedly.

Ana's eyes lit up sincerely.

"Oh, really! That's wonderful!"

_So a book means more to her than seeing someone who cares about her? _Claus wondered. _What a strange girl. _

"I'll go back to my office and get it," Ms. Li said. "I'll be right back! You two behave yourselves, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be good," Ana responded as Ms. Li closed the door.

"What did she mean by 'be good?'" Claus asked. "I mean, I doubt that they care if we disturb the rats that live here…"

"Think about it, Claus," Ana responded. "A teenage boy and girl are alone in a hidden room. What might she be afraid of?"

Claus blushed, realizing what the implication had been.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't do that! Especially since we had just met…"

"Chill, Claus," Ana replied with a superior smile. "I would like to think that I'm a good enough judge of character after all of these years in New Pork to recognize if you were some kind of rapist."

Claus flinched.

"You talk about it so casually…"

Ana shrugged.

"Rape is a fact in New Pork. It's horribly sad, but it happens."

"Have you…?" Claus couldn't finish the question.

"Been raped? No," Ana responded with a sigh. "I knew people who have, though. Let's just say that those people were never quite the same afterwards. Most of them spiraled down into depression and eventually gave up on life. They're probably rotting in a gutter somewhere."

"That's _horrifying,_" Claus replied.

"It is," Ana said sadly. "Surprisingly, a lot of the victims were boys. You know, they don't expect to be in danger, so they didn't take as many precautions…"

"How can a boy get raped?" Claus asked, furrowing his brow.

"You don't know much about rape, do you?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow once more.

"Well… not really," Claus admitted.

"It's not the sex that's the issue," Ana explained. "Rape is a form of assault, and assault is all about power. Rapists seek the thrill of power when they commit their heinous crimes, and they achieve satisfaction when their victims squirm helplessly. Sometimes boys get raped by men. Sometimes they get raped by women. It's still a knife held at your throat or a gun pointed at your head either way."

"Thanks for the visuals," Claus said sarcastically.

"Well, it's what happens," Ana maintained. "And to understand something like that, we need to be able to _feel _it. That's what empathy is."

"I suppose…" Claus replied. "I guess that I would just prefer _not_ to hear about it. It really makes me uncomfortable."

"I apologize for being blunt, but how can you be uncomfortable _hearing _about rape when you're planning to _kill _another human being?"

Claus froze.

"That's different," he said gruffly.

"Oh?" Ana asked. "Please explain."

"They deserve it," Claus replied.

"What if someone deserved to be raped? Would you be okay watching that happen?"

"Nobody deserves to be raped, Ana."

"But people deserve to be killed?"

"…"

"Exactly. Do you see what I'm trying to say? Nobody deserves to be raped, obviously. But is killing someone really any better?"

"Yeah," Claus conceded. "I do see what you're saying, but I'm not convinced that I'm wrong. And even if I am… my vengeful thoughts give me strength. My actions may be unpleasant, but I won't abandon that strength when the world could be at stake. After all, if the world ends, the morality of my actions won't make a difference."

"So, you're making sacrifices for the greater good, huh?" Ana asked softly.

"Honestly, yes," Claus replied, adding iron to his voice.

The door to the room swung open, revealing Ms. Li.

"Here, Ana," she said excitedly, holding out a lengthy novel. "I brought your book!"

Ana walked up and eagerly accepted it.

"All right, thanks!" She exclaimed.

Ms. Li nodded and closed the door behind her.

"What's that book?" Claus asked, walking over and taking a look. "Whoa… there are a lot of pages. And the words are so small!"

Ana gave Claus a flat look.

"This isn't a picture book, Claus."

"I know, but… I guess I just haven't seen a book as big as that before," Claus explained. "In Tazmily, I didn't really read much."

"That's a pity," Ana replied. "Reading can be quite… informative."

"Is that book non-fiction, then?" Claus asked.

"No," Ana replied. "It's a novel. But those often say the most about our world."

"How can a book about what isn't real tell the most about what is real?"

"Novels provide examples of certain ideas in action. Real life is often too obscured for such endeavors. Take this book, for example. It's one of my favorites because it applies to me. The main character in this book had a pretty crappy life like I did. In response, he developed elitist ideals as a psychological defense mechanism to differentiate himself from all of the people around him that were spiraling down into despair and poverty. He believed that he was some sort of hero that had the right and duty to do whatever he needed to in order to make the world better. It's just like us with our PSI."

_Is it? _Claus wondered. _Am I taking on all of these troubles because I believe that my PSI gives me a greater responsibility? I guess that I am._

"But that's not necessarily bad," Claus argued. "After all, somebody needs to help out society, so why not him?"

"I'm not saying that trying to improve society was wrong," Ana explained, "But this person was willing to do _anything _to get what he wanted. I believe that this in part stems from his painful experiences that left him feeling cynical and helpless. He wanted to prove to himself that he could become this extraordinary human being."

"Again, that's not always a bad thing…" Claus trailed off.

"Being willing to do anything in order to accomplish something? That is wrong, Claus. Let me share with you what this person did. He concocted this plan to kill a heartless pawnbroker who was a leech on society. Whether or not she deserved to be killed is debatable, but during the act of the murder, he came across the pawnbroker's sister, a meek woman whose only interest was to help other people out. The man killed her as well in the panic of the moment, not wanting to leave any witnesses alive. He killed an innocent, wonderful person during his plan to improve society."

"But that's just a story," Claus interrupted.

"And what do you think happened to this man?" Ana continued as if she hadn't heard Claus' words. "Do you think that he felt good about killing an innocent? How would you feel?"

How _would _Claus feel if he killed an innocent person? It would be… worse than he would ever be able to describe. The guilt that he would feel… Claus didn't think that it would ever go away.

_This is just a hypothetical, _Claus reminded himself.

But it just seemed so _real. _Claus could imagine it happening. He would try to kill the murderer and find out that the person that he had killed was innocent… that could totally happen!

"The man was raked with guilt," Ana continued. "He was reduced to a shell of his former self. He became delusional and developed qualities of insanity. This 'extraordinary' person who set out to help society just made it worse!"

"No…" Claus whispered.

Could it be possible that he _wasn't _right in his quest for revenge? Claus remembered his own words to Poo. He had told Poo to keep an open mind and be willing to admit that he was wrong. Had Claus been a hypocrite?

"That is how a broken society like New Pork works," Ana said, looking at Claus sympathetically. "The society hurts the people in it, who go back to hurt the society, which goes back to hurt the people… it's a positive feedback loop, and someone like you or the man in the book is just a pawn in this cycle of destruction!"

"No…" Claus repeated weakly, gritting his teeth in denial. "I'm… not a pawn. I'm doing this to help…"

"That's what everyone thinks, Claus," Ana said. "But in the end, you'll end up as a negative statistic on a piece of paper if you continue on this route."

"NO!" Claus yelled. "I… won't be… I can't be… I'm different from everyone else. I won't fail… I can't fail!"

"Now you're sounding like the man from this book with your elitism," Ana said. "And you know what happened to him. Everyone thinks that they're special, Claus. In the end, what makes you different from all of the other self-proclaimed heroes that seek justice through revenge and then end up burning out?"

_My PSI! _Claus wanted to shout but then remembered Ninten's scornful words from ages ago that had been directed at Jeff back at the school. Ninten and Ness had claimed that PSI made them superhuman, but that attitude was wrong! …Which meant that Claus was fumbling for excuses.

"Nothing," Claus admitted, looking down to the dusty floor with enough sadness to bring the roof down on his head. "I have nothing that they don't."

That felt so _horrible _to admit.

"Then give yourself something to set them apart," Ana said with a sad smile. "In this book, another character was able to break the vicious cycle with her acts of kindness and love."

Claus snorted.

"That's a pretty fairy tale," he said in contempt. "Love isn't going to help anyone."

But something seemed wrong with that.

_Hang onto to your love for each other. _Those were his mother's words…

"You might be surprised by how much acts of kindness and love affect people, Claus," Ana said, looking into Claus' cerulean eyes. "I was on the same track as you were, so I truly know what you feel. I kept myself sane by fantasizing about torturing Porky to death… but one day, I met a boy who showed me what I really wanted to be like. I then took that and was able to affect other people in a positive way, and those people in turn affect even more people. We need to create a cycle of love and caring, not a cycle of death and destruction."

A cycle of loving and caring… that had a nice ring to it.

"But… is that really practical?" Claus asked. "I mean, I don't want to hinder our chances of success, and reaching out to those who seek to take advantage of us seems like an issue."

"I won't deny that what you speak of is a possibility," Ana admitted. "But you'll be so much stronger if you embrace love rather than hate. If you get revenge and kill your enemy, what happens next? Sure, it will feel awesome, but you'll still be stuck with the issue of saving the world. That will feel hollow after you've burned out all of your emotion."

Claus nodded. Surprisingly, he could see that happening to him.

"But if you fight for the things that you really care about, I promise you that you'll be able to sustain that passion. Trust me, Claus."

"I… do trust you, strangely enough," Claus replied, letting some of the hatred inside of him fizzle out. "I think that… I will give your way a try. After all, I don't want to save this world just to leave it shattered and broken."

Ana smiled at him.

"That's the spirit!" She exclaimed. "Let's work together to save this damn world and end New Pork's cycle of destruction!"

Claus felt an astonishing sense of relief overtake him as he returned Ana's smile. Claus remembered his conversation so long ago with Lucas about suppressing rage and letting it slowly control him like a puppet. It seemed that he had needed yet another reality check to set himself back on the right course.

Claus sighed, releasing all of the pressure that he had felt for the past three days. He felt as light as a feather after throwing his heavy cache of hatred aside. Once again, he had taken off his mantle of suffering.

Now he was ready to change the world.

* * *

Jeff looked at Ness' peaceful body. His closed eyes and light smile made him look like a baby… almost. Salsa was also watching Ness with a surprising amount of intensity. Jeff had expected Salsa and Samba to leave the Empire Porky Building as soon as they could, but Salsa insisted on making sure that Ness was okay first.

_If only there were more humans like you, Salsa, _Jeff thought sadly.

Jeff was worried about Ness, though. He had been out for four days straight and didn't look any different from when he had originally set out to visit Magicant. Jeff had made sure to give him food and water, but still…

"You had better make it back, Ness," Jeff said out loud. "Paula's brainwashed, Poo's dead, my father's missing, and my mother's been rotting in her grave for years. You're all that I have left."

Jeff was secretly, irrationally hoping that Ness would show some indication that he was being spoken to, but Ness didn't move an inch.

"Heh, I suppose that's what happens when I'm alone with nobody but myself to talk to for four days…" Jeff cut himself off in thought. "You know, our adventures two years ago were the best parts of my life. Even though there was an unspoken fear among us that we would end up dead, we had so much fun. I remember the warm, white beaches of Summers surrounded by seas the color of sapphires. I remember standing in Fourside's grassy parks and looking at the breathtaking architecture that seemed to grasp at the moon. I remember visiting Poo's home in Dalaam with its unique, spiritual culture. I remember…"

Jeff was cut off as the metal door that lead to the room was smashed in, revealing Paula and Lloid standing emotionlessly in the doorway. Salsa and Samba ran and hid under a table, but they might as well have not been there.

"Paula…" Jeff said longingly.

"Who are you?" Paula asked, her steel voice taking Jeff by surprise.

Paula's voice was always filled to the brim with emotion. Now it felt so… empty. Something about that terrified Jeff to the core.

"Don't you remember?" Jeff asked. "I'm Jeff and this is Ness!"

Paula showed no reaction to those words.

_Paula… _Jeff thought in despair. _Is there still something left inside of you? _

Lloid pulled out a laser gun and fired it at Jeff, who failed to react quickly enough.

"Argh!" Jeff exclaimed, pain blossoming in his left arm where he was hit.

_Dang it, my psionic stall is out of practice… I never expected to get in another fight like this. _

In panic, Jeff leaped towards the food supply and scarfed down a bread roll.

"What was that for?" Jeff accused. "What did I ever do to you, Lloid?"

"You hacked," Lloid responded simply and fired off another shot that grazed by Jeff.

_Oh, _Jeff realized. _Lloid was brainwashed too. I guess that his brainwashing didn't show up on the records… _

But how did he know that Jeff had been hacking?

_He must have looked at the trail that I left while hacking, _Jeff realized._ I should have been more careful! But… I was trying to get the job done as quickly as possible. If I had taken time to erase my trail, I don't think that Samba would be free right now. _

It feet like there had been no right option. That made Jeff angrier than it probably should have.

Jeff pulled out his own laser gun and fired back at Lloid.

_Oh man, I hope that I don't kill him… _

Lloid didn't even react when the red laser hit him in the chest.

"We are killing the hacker?" Paula asked in a matter of fact tone that broke Jeff's heart.

_Paula would never act so emotionless when talking about killing someone, _Jeff told himself.

"Yes," Lloid replied. "He may do more harm to the pigmasks."

"No!" Jeff exclaimed. "Listen to yourself talk! Aren't you ashamed of what you've become?"

Paula stared at Jeff for a second that seemed to last hours.

_Please… _Jeff thought. _You have to be alive in there somewhere, Paula! _

"PK Freeze Omega," Paula said icily.

Jeff felt nothing but agony and betrayal as ice encased his body. His psionic stall was better this time, giving him precious seconds that he used to scarf down a piece of beef jerky. However, he was still wounded and wasn't used to the pain.

_Gah! _Jeff thought. _I forgot how much pain tends to hurt! _

He brought his gun up and hesitantly fired a shot at Paula.

_Did I really just shoot one of my friends? _

Paula, like Lloid, didn't even seem to feel the pain.

"Let's finish this," Lloid said.

Was Jeff imagining things, or did Lloid's words betray a sense of reluctance?

Paula nodded heavily and used PK Freeze on Jeff again. In panic, Jeff once again put up a subpar psionic stall, meaning that he only had a couple of seconds to-

"Lifeup gamma!"

Jeff looked in wonder as he saw Ness standing next to him with a characteristic grin.

"Good thing I woke up when I did, huh?" Ness asked.

"T-Thanks," Jeff muttered thankfully through the pain.

Ness turned his attention to Paula and adopted a wistful expression.

_That look shouldn't be on the face of a fourteen year old, _Jeff thought sadly.

"You are gone, aren't you, Paula?" Ness asked somberly.

"I don't know who you are, but you had better stand away from me and the hacker," Paula replied icily. "You don't want to mess with the pigmask army, do you?"

"Actually, that's exactly what I'm doing," Ness replied with a stupid grin. "So I think that you had better stand away from _me._"

_That has to be the worst intimidation attempt I've ever seen, _Jeff thought.

Paula snorted.

"You have a lot of confidence for someone with nothing special. I'm surprised that a human like you can even stand up to me, knowing that you might have to kill me."

"I can kill you because you're not Paula," Ness asserted with fire in his charcoal eyes. "Even if Paula's in there somewhere, she's screaming in horror. I'll try to save her if I can, but I know that she wants me to put the world's safety over hers. The least that I can do is honor her wishes!"

Lloid suddenly grabbed his head, mouth twisted in pain.

"What is it? Do you have a defect?" Paula asked.

"Something about what that boy is saying feels familiar," Lloid said in a pained voice. "Paula… Didn't you say that we should think about _how_ we think? You called it… metacognition."

"I don't recall ever having said anything of the sort," Paula asserted confidently.

"I… remember now!" Lloid exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "When I was stuck in religious extremism, you made me think about my thought processes. I had thought that my opinions weren't important enough to voice, but I figured out how to combat that mentality through metacognition! It allowed me to address the causes of my low self-esteem and my constant fear of other people's disapproval."

"I… told you that?" Paula asked in wonder.

"The way that we're thinking scares me, Paula," Lloid said softly. "If we are willing to kill a hacker without feeling anything, what comes next?"

"We have to do this…" Paula said uncertainly. "We have to do this for the pigmasks…"

"You sound exactly like my parents did!" Lloid shouted.

"I… no…" Paula's eyes widened. "No! I'm not like that…"

"We are!" Lloid replied.

"No…" Paula repeated weakly.

"Maybe you just need some time to think," Ness suggested.

Lloid nodded.

"Come on, Paula. You're not acting like yourself. _We're_ not acting like ourselves."

He grabbed Paula's hands and dragged her out of the room.

"Phew," Jeff said after a minute. "That was close."

"Close to us having to kill them," Ness said, his heavy, melancholy eyes making Jeff feel uneasy. "I defeated my nightmare and absorbed the true power of the 'my sanctuary' locations. I don't want to brag, but I'm now _much _more powerful without all of that baggage weighing me down."

"You say that you don't want to brag, but you're totally bragging," Jeff pointed out.

Ness laughed.

"I guess I am, but it's… honest bragging. I really am quite powerful. There's no point in denying it, you know?"

Jeff shrugged. Salsa bounded out from under the table and sat down next to Ness, looking relieved.

"Hi, Salsa," Ness said warmly, kneeling down and looking the monkey in the eye.

"Salsa insisted on staying next to you while you were sleeping," Jeff said. "It was pretty cute."

Ness' smile broadened.

"You did?" He asked Salsa similar to how someone would talk to a beloved dog. "You're so sweet. But… you should probably try to escape this place. There's nothing left for you here, is there?"

Salsa seemed to understand what Ness was saying and walked up to the door, indicating that he was ready to go out. Samba followed closely behind him, directing a suspicious look at Jeff.

_I guess she doesn't understand that my cold words to the scientist were just part of a façade that I needed to adopt to get her out of that cage, _Jeff realized.

Jeff smiled at her, trying not to seem threatening.

"All right!" Ness exclaimed, bounding to his feet. "What are we waiting for? Let's get these poor monkeys out of here!"

"I… actually need to secure a weapon," Jeff said. "I found it by scanning some files. I think that it will come in handy. Also, I've hacked my way into the elevator systems. We can go to the 100th floor for a long overdue meeting with Porky."

"Okay, I'll take the monkeys and you can get that weapon," Ness said excitedly, not perturbed by Jeff's announcement. "Let's meet back here after we're done, okay? After that… we can finally confront our enemy. Porky had better watch his back!"

"It's a deal," Jeff replied confidently, determined to end New Pork's plights once and for all.

* * *

Lucas returned back to his own Magicant and gasped at how little remained. There was only enough land to fill a small field; Lucas could see the drop off into oblivion in every direction.

"Phew, you're back!" Voice exclaimed, looking both disturbed and relieved.

"Yeah," Lucas replied with a confident smile that was intended to reassure Voice. "Of course I'm back."

It still boggled Lucas mind how someone so physically and psionically powerful like Voice could be so emotionally weak.

"I had another visitor while you were gone," Voice said eagerly.

"Another?" Lucas asked. "Oh yeah, my mother visited you earlier, didn't she?"

Voice nodded.

"Yup, I was the one who set up the meeting between you and Claus."

"I figured that out when you sent me over to Ness' Magicant," Lucas replied brightly. "Well, I had a suspicion after reading your diary, but that confirmed it. You sure know a lot of powerful PSI."

Voice looked down at the grey, dirt ground.

"Yeah, unfortunately," he whispered darkly.

Lucas fidgeted uncomfortably, not wanting to push the subject.

"So… you said that you had another visitor?" Lucas asked.

Voice perked up.

"Yeah, your friend Ninten stopped by! Well… his ghost did, at least. I taught him how to unlock buried memories. He must have had a pretty specific goal in mind…"

"Wait, are you implying that ghosts can use PSI?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup," Voice replied, smiling at Lucas' shock. "However, they can't affect the physical world. I guess unlocking memories is allowed, even though it has to deal with the brain, which is a physical object… I guess I don't really understand what qualifies as 'physical.' Regardless, ghosts aren't allowed to come down to the realm of the living very often. So you don't need to worry about PSI ghosts haunting you," Voice finished with a knowing smile.

_Even if that was a possibility, I think that I have bigger worries… _Lucas thought.

"Anyways," Voice said. "I'm glad that Ninten came and talked with me. When you left… I started to revert back to my old, cynical self. If he hadn't shown up…" Voice shuddered. "I said that I would be okay on my own, but I really wasn't. I could very well have thrown the world away with that mistake."

The self-loathing tone that Voice took worried Lucas.

"Well, there's no point in thinking about that now," Lucas said.

"It's hard not to think about it when I can see the consequences of my weakness all around me," Voice muttered.

"You mean the fact that Magicant is so small?"

Voice nodded.

"So much of Magicant floated away from me as a result of my inability to hold onto my emotions." Voice paused, furrowing his brow in thought. "I… looked outside of our body for a while. We're in front of the last needle."

Lucas felt a chill run down his spine.

"Is the world ending?" Lucas asked cautiously. "If our body pulls the last needle…"

"Yes, the world would be destroyed," Voice finished bitterly. "But that doesn't appear to be happening. Porky probably wants to have some fun watching Claus and Ness struggle to save the world."

"Do you know Porky?" Lucas asked.

"…Sort of," Voice responded after a pause. "It's complicated. I do understand him, though. He feels alone like Kumatora and I do. He's lived hundreds, maybe thousands of years travelling through time, not wanting to die but not really being able to _live _either. I think that he's at least a little bit insane."

"It's scary that you can relate so easily to Kumatora and Porky," Lucas said with a shiver.

"It is," Voice agreed. "No wonder I hate myself as much as I do."

"There's no need for self-hatred," Lucas said supportively. "You should pull a Ness and let that close relation with the villains push you to distance yourself from them!"

Voice laughed mirthfully.

"Pull a Ness, huh? I suppose I can try that…"

"I hate to ask," Lucas started softly, "But… if we're right in front of the needle, does that mean that even if Claus and Ness make it to the final needle, Porky will just have us pull it?"

Voice pondered that question for a minute, the sky of Magicant darkening into a navy blue.

"I don't think so, at least not immediately," Voice answered.

Lucas sighed in relief.

"He'll have our body fight Claus or Ness, whoever gets here first," Voice continued. "That will be… emotionally trying for them, to say the least."

A sinking feeling of alarm overtook Lucas.

"I can't imagine what Claus would feel if he was forced to fight me," Lucas whispered. "He… always tried to protect me. To know that he would have to kill me in order to save the world… I think that might break him."

"I don't know," Voice replied. "Claus is a strong person. Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. Either way, though, his chances are slim. Do you remember when I took over your body to help you fight the masked man?"

Lucas nodded. In a cruel twist of fate, Lucas had been the one to kill his own body with Voice's help.

"I didn't even break a sweat there," Voice said, his iron eyes boring their way into Lucas' heart.

"But…" Lucas fumbled. "You were so powerful there…"

"I know," Voice said sadly. "Trust me, if Claus or Ness tries to fight us, they will lose."

"What do we do, then?" Lucas asked desperately.

"I don't know," Voice replied.

Those words echoed in Lucas' mind, sending chills down his spine as he looked out into the everlasting void of nothingness in front of him.

* * *

"You ready for this?" Ness asked as he and Jeff walked through the halls of the 99th floor of the Empire Pork Building.

"Heck yeah," Jeff responded with a grin. "It's time to actually do something!"

Ness looked at Jeff's giant gun-like weapon and shied back a bit.

"What is that?" Ness asked.

"It's a heavy bazooka," Jeff replied. "It launches explosives and had a virtually unlimited supply of ammunition."

"That sounds… scary."

"It does less than most PSI, but it will nevertheless be useful," Jeff said with a sigh. "I just wish that I didn't have to hold a weapon in my hand again. It feels so much more… real this time."

Ness nodded in agreement, understanding what Jeff meant. He, Paula, Jeff, and Poo all possessed a childlike innocence on their quest to save the world two years ago. Even though they were killing monsters, it felt like a game.

This didn't.

Ness walked into the elevator that lead up to the 100th floor, feeling adrenaline flow through his veins. Jeff followed and closed the heavy, iron doors. As they headed up, Ness couldn't help but wonder what they would find.

Was Porky really an evil dictator? Ness had trouble believing that. Porky had been under the influence of Giygas two years ago, but he had always been more of a nuisance rather than a real threat. Even if Porky possessed the lack of morality to construct a toxic city like New Pork (which Ness wasn't convinced of), he would only be fourteen. There was no way that he could have constructed New Pork at that age… right?

The elevator rang and the doors opened, revealing a lavish room with an emerald green carpet and golden walls, a bronze chandelier hanging from high ceiling. Two silver doors stood at the end of the long, carpeted hallway. Ness and Jeff cautiously stepped out of the elevator and walked on the carpet.

"I'll cast some buffs on us to be safe…" Ness figured out loud. "Offense up alpha! Defense up alpha! Shield alpha!"

He repeated these abilities on Jeff to give him the effects as well.

"Oh no," Jeff said in dismay, looking at a tablet screen that portrayed code that Ness didn't understand. "The pigmasks are coming after us. We need to hurry!"

Ness nodded and ran down the hallway. Without hesitation, he opened the silver doors to find a room that seemed to stretch up into infinity.

"You finally came."

From the oblivion above, Kumatora flew down and landed lightly on the golden floor, a deadly, pained sneer painted on her face.

"Hey, Ness, wait… oh!" Jeff explained, seeing Kumatora standing in front of them. "Kumatora! You're… scarier than I expected."

Kumatora snarled.

"I didn't come here to talk! I'm going to kill you, Ness," she hissed venomously.

"Do you hold some sort of grudge against me?" Ness asked.

"You are a fool, Ness," Kumatora rasped. "You had the peace of emptiness, and then you tried to fill it with your silly, inefficient emotions! I will show you true emptiness, Ness. I will show you death! Because that is the truth that you deny!"

"Death and peace are opposites, Kumatora," Ness said evenly. "I learned from my experiences in Magicant that I have to hang onto my emotions, even the fear that resides inside of my soul. To try to deny the fight or flight response… turns me into someone that cannot stop until they go over the edge!"

Kumatora let out a feral scream.

"You think that your fear will _help _you? Come at me, little man! Let me show you what fear REALLY IS!"

Ness raised his baseball bat in in reply.


	27. Chapter 27: A Liability

**We're almost done! After this, there are only three more chapters. :) They're all pretty long, though...**

**Anyways, this one is really short, but I think that it has a good (or at least decent) end point, so I just decided to end it there.**

**Review Responses:**

**A Fan:**** Yeah, heroes showing bravery is pretty cliche because the only other alternative is heroes not showing bravery, and that's no fun. ;) Believe it or not, I did think of the "run past him and pull the needle" thing. I didn't consider the paralysis, but writing about that is dumb, so I can easily make up an excuse (after all, there are items in the game that make you immune to effects like that...). **

**Yup, Lloid being brainwashed wasn't revealed until last chapter (Jeff comments on how it didn't show up in the records). Yeah... these chapters are getting a bit darker. At least there are some uplifting parts that make you feel better... right? **

**I totally agree with you on the stereotype thing. It's obnoxious and unfortunately very human (we as humans tend to categorize things). :( Ana's book is based off of an irl book called ****Crime and Punishment.**** It was one of those school books that wasn't fun to read but had a bunch of good stuff in it.**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Nah, it's totally normal that you don't consider the last chapter to be long. I've read a book where there was a chapter that had over 70k words. **

**Haha, perfect description of youtube in a sentence. :)**

**Well, I'm not going to reveal anything about the ending, but it's awesome how much you think about my story! :) I'm really glad that people care so much.**

**JustMe. Hi:**** Thanks! :)**

**Yeah, I was surprised by how much people are liking Voice. I was thinking that he was a bit... out there, but I'm glad that you can sympathize/empathize with him. :)**

**And yeah, prophecy can totally be broken! ...Except in greek mythology in general. It makes me sad. :( I think that I even put something in one of my chapters about Oedipus... what a creepy story. *shivers* Still was mild compared to other stuff we read in AP Lit, though. xD I'm digressing, so I think that I'm just going to cut myself off here. ;)**

**MattWithTheLolz:**** That's probably the weirdest compliment that I've ever received! xD Not that being gay is weird or anything... Well, thanks for the compliment! ;) And I'm touched that you signed up just to write a review. :)**

**I'm so glad that you like reading about the moral problems. I've been wanting to get all of that out for the better part of the last five years, but most people don't like to talk about stuff like that in everyday conversation. This story is a great way to talk about morality without sounding hopelessly separated from reality. xD**

**Phoesong:**** Yes! Stats 4ever... or at least for a year! xD**

**Oh yeah, what a coincidence with the Ana thing! Besides that, though, our Anas are so different! It's so cool to see different people's takes on characters (and I kinda pulled Ana's character out of thin air, so... yeah). **

**To be completely honest, part of why I can address those issues is because my characters are saying it rather than me. xD Thanks, though. :) A lot of stuff that I talk about has been on my mind for quite some time, so it's nice to get it out... even though sometimes I feel that the characters and not me choose what I write about. xD**

* * *

_How can I survive, stranded in this dying world beneath me?_

_Hinawa told Lucas to focus on his connection with Claus. If only I had someone, anyone that I knew from before to connect to…_

* * *

Ness ran at Kumatora, who flew forward to meet his charge.

"PK Flash!" Ness shouted, gritting his teeth in determination.

The world around Ness flashed a blinding yellow for a second before returning to normal. _All right, _Ness thought. _That should throw Kumatora off…_

Unfazed by the burst of light, Kumatora smashed her axe into Ness' face. Luckily for Ness, the shield that he had set up reduced the impact, but pain nevertheless radiated from the site of impact.

"Gah!" Ness shouted. "How… were you not blinded?"

"This robotic eye isn't for show, _human_," Kumatora rasped. "I can see in infrared."

"What?" Ness asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"She can see in terms of heat!" Jeff shouted.

"And even if I couldn't, don't you think that I would have accounted for your silly status conditions somehow?" Kumatora demanded.

_Honestly, no, _Ness thought.

He swung his baseball bat with all of his might and caught Kumatora on the tip of the weapon, sending her flying like a lacrosse ball. She slammed into the golden wall above the vacant throne, making feral noises.

Jeff fired rockets from his bazooka that slammed into the area around Kumatora, exploding with deafening noises and leaving holes in the golden wall.

"Lifeup beta!" Ness shouted, healing the wound from Kumatora's axe. He probably didn't need to, but it was best to be safe.

"Do… you… think that you can win?" Kumatora demanded harshly, breathing heavily from exertion. "I am a robot! You cannot destroy me with your sticks and stones!"

"These rockets are hardly stones," Jeff pointed out.

"Lifeup beta," Kumatora muttered.

_Crap! _Ness thought. _It's annoying fighting someone who can heal! _He ran at Kumatora a second time, determined not to let her sit back and continue to close her wounds. Ness raised his bat above his head and swung it at Kumatora, who caught the downward stroke on her axe. For a moment, Ness and Kumatora's weapons were locked, each of them pushing on their weapons to try to overpower the other combatant, neither of them gaining the advantage.

"Ness!" Jeff shouted in alarm. Recognizing the message, Ness rolled out of the way as another barrage of rockets exploded around Kumatora.

"Gah…" she rasped. "You have gotten stronger, Ness. To match up with the strength of my robotic arm is no small feat."

"I have absorbed the power of my sanctuary locations!" Ness shouted triumphantly. "I have unlocked powers that most people don't know exist!"

Kumatora laughed.

"Your powers will not save you… but I see that the wisest course of action is to go after the weaker fighter first."

Kumatora took off flying towards Jeff.

"No!" Ness exclaimed, helpless to stop Kumatora as she barreled towards Jeff.

Jeff fired shots at Kumatora with his laser gun, likely not trusting the accuracy of his bazooka in open air. Some of the lasers hit, but Kumatora didn't seem to notice. Ness could see the fear in Jeff's eyes. It had been two years since they had last fought a real battle, and even then most of their adversaries would rather leave them wounded than dead. Jeff let out a yelp and started running away, knowing that he couldn't possibly hope to match the speed of Kumatora's jetpack.

Ness sprinted towards Jeff as quickly as he could. He didn't even get close when Kumatora slammed her axe in Jeff's chest.

"I've been looking at your files, Jeff," Kumatora rasped with a superior sneer, "And how humorous they are! You failed to save your mother from a malfunctioning machine and you were so guilty about it that you decided to dedicate _your whole life _to learning about technology?"

She broke out into mocking laughter.

"Ergh…" Jeff let out in pain, although Ness could not tell if Kumatora's axe or words hit harder.

"Lifeup Beta!" Ness shouted, touching Jeff as he finally arrived to heal his friend.

Ness swung his bat sideways at Kumatora, who flew teasingly out of reach.

"Jeff, you should see by now that everyone dies," Kumatora rasped. "There's no point in worrying about how your mother died all of those years ago."

"We mourn the dead," Jeff whispered, putting his hand over his heart. "That is what makes us human."

"You humans are worthless!" Kumatora roared. "So caught up in the guilt of the past… you cannot look towards the logistic future!"

Jeff fired more lasers at Kumatora, gripping his gun feverishly with murder in his eyes.

"You attack me because you know that my words are true," Kumatora rasped with a disdainful sneer.

"Jeff, don't listen to her!" Ness shouted.

"You didn't say that to Lloid when he started listening to what his enemy had to say," Jeff muttered.

"Lloid only listened to himself-"

"And how do you think that he got those beliefs?" Jeff asked. "He had to listen to unpleasant opinions in order to form the opinions that allowed him to overcome the brainwashing! If I ignore what I do not want to hear, I become no better than the person that I am fighting."

"You can face your mother's death later!" Ness exclaimed. "We don't have time for this now!"

Kumatora just laughed, not moving in for an attack.

"Do I sense some discord between you two? You humans can never agree."

"It is our individuality that gives us strength!" Ness countered. "We can learn so much from how other people act!"

"Ness," Jeff said softly. "I thought that if I could accomplish something with my skills then maybe I could forgive myself for being helpless to stop my mother's death. But now I see… that my mother will always be dead and that nothing I do can make up for that. I failed to save Kumatora, and here she is, twisted to the point of insanity. I am a FAILURE, Ness!"

"No!" Ness shouted. "You're not…"

"You humans are all failures," Kumatora rasped sadly. "That is why you have to die. PK Starstorm."

Stars fell from the vast sky inside of the Empire Pork Building, slamming into Ness and Jeff.

"Lifeup Omega!" Ness shouted, healing both himself and Jeff.

Kumatora flew down and swiped the top of Jeff's head with her axe.

"Lifeup Beta!" Ness shouted again, growing weary of having to constantly use PSI.

"I'm just holding you back, Ness," Jeff said as he fired more lasers at Kumatora. "Look at me! Kumatora's focusing her attacks on me because she knows that I'll soak up your healing PSI like a sponge! You'll run out of psionic power eventually, Ness. I… will deal with the pigmasks that are approaching us."

Jeff turned around and exited the throne room.

"Jeff!" Ness shouted.

"Pathetic!" Kumatora exclaimed in glee. "Oh, the way that you humans crawl forward, struggling to press your personal agendas without thinking about the impact on others!"

"Says the person trying to end the world," Ness said icily.

"There is a unity in cold steel, Ness!" Kumatora shouted. "There is a unity in death!"

She flew down and swung her axe wildly at Ness. Ness parried each of her attacks calmly, dull rage pushing him to perfection.

"Time runs against you!" Kumatora roared.

In the blink of an eye, Ness went on the offensive and feinted to the left with his baseball bat while he caught Kumatora's face with his right elbow. Dazed by the attack, Kumatora left an opening that Ness took gratefully, swinging his baseball bat and hearing the satisfying noise of wood slamming into flesh.

"Cute," Kumatora snarled. "But you don't realize the _power _I have!"

Kumatora's robotic arm extended out like a spring, punching Ness in the cheek. Not expecting the attack, Ness put up a subpar psionic stall and tried to back away in panic. That turned out to be the wrong decision.

Kumatora's robotic arm shifted, the metal parts rearranging to form themselves into an arm cannon.

_How in the world is that possible? _Ness thought. _There's no way that she could store ammunition anywhere in that arm when it's normally used as a hand…_

Kumatora fired not missiles but rainbow psionic balls of energy in rapid succession, a half dozen of them hitting Ness and tossing him across the room. Ness was pretty tough after absorbing the power of his sanctuary locations, but the psionic balls packed a raw power that was sure to kill him if left untouched.

_She can channel her psionic power through that cannon?_ Ness thought, probably more surprised than he should have been_. I need to be prepared for anything. _

"PK Life-urg!" Ness let out as he felt Kumatora's reformed metal hand close around his throat.

"I heard that Lucas did this to you earlier," Kumatora rasped with a cruel grin.

Ness was sent into a panic by Kumatora's icy grip on his throat, weakening his psionic stall. The fact that he had almost died this way earlier made him _terrified, _and Kumatora had likely picked up on that.

"See, Ness? You humans cannot overcome these challenges in front of you! If you had embraced the emptiness, you could do something right now! But no, you think that the fear that you feel will _help _you. Pathetic!"

_I think… that you may have made a mistake, _Ness sent. _True, nature would normally have me struggle helplessly, but… we humans are designed to be able to overcome our natural instincts when it really matters!_

"PK Rockin Omega," Ness said weakly, moving his hands from his throat and making the required gestures.

Hexagons flew out of Ness' mind one by one, pausing and _looking _at Kumatora in disapproval. They smashed into her, sending her flying several feet away. Kumatora landed on her back with a grunt.

"Lifeup gamma," Ness said, determination allowing him to act without breath.

Realizing that there was no time to lose, Ness charged at Kumatora and pummeled her relentlessly with her baseball bat. For the first time, Ness could see fear in Kumatora's human eye.

_I must be close to beating her! _he thought hopefully.

The power from Ness' sanctuaries flowed down through Ness' arm and through his bat, enchanting each of Ness' harsh strikes.

"Lifeup-" Kumatora started as she moved her hands to heal herself, but Ness swatted away Kumatora's human hand.

_Yes! _Ness thought. _I interrupted her Lifeup! She must be close to dead…_

That was when Ness realized that Kumatora was smiling.

The next second, Kumatora's robotic hand clamped itself around _both_ of Ness' wrists, restraining his hands.

_NO! _Ness shouted to himself in dismay. _It was a trap all along! _

"PK Starstorm," Kumatora rasped, completing the necessary hand gestures with her human hand.

Stars fell from the sky once more, falling onto both Ness and Kumatora.

"I'm not anywhere _near _being dead, Ness," she rasped with a triumphant smile.

"No!" Ness shouted, struggling helplessly to free his hands from Kumatora's cold, steel arm as he felt his life drain away.

"Checkmate," Kumatora rasped with an evil smile.

Ness screamed in horror.

_Tracy… mother… please forgive me. I don't think that I'll ever get to see you again…_

* * *

Jeff fired his bazooka at the oncoming pigmask horde, listening to each squeal of pain.

"Now you see what you are up against!" Jeff shouted. "If you value your life, do not come any closer!"

The pigmasks ignored Jeff, barreling down the long hallway with the emerald carpet.

_Why does that never work? _Jeff asked himself wearily.

With his heart in his throat, Jeff fired more rockets and watched as they tore flesh apart. He struggled not to puke at the grotesque wrath that his bazooka invoked.

"Stay back!" Jeff warned, "Unless you want to suffer the same fate!"

The pigmasks followed his advice. They decided not to advance… but they fired lasers at Jeff.

_Damn it! _Jeff thought. While dodging shots, Jeff's brain couldn't help but turn to his mother's death.

He still remembered the malfunctioning robot down to the last screw. It was plated with smooth blue steel; Jeff had spent weeks finding all of the seams on that machine. It had aqua eyes that scanned the other robots to decide which ones to repair and possessed blocky fingers taht had no problem wielding tools of any sort.

When the robot had come in while he and his mother were playing together, it had mistaken them for robots and tried to take them apart.

_Run, Jeff! _he heard in his mind. Even after all of these years, the memory his mother's alarmed voice refused to dull. _Run to dad's laptop! He has a program that can shut the robot down remotely! I'll distract them while you run!_

Jeff had done just that, but upon reaching the laptop, he couldn't find the program that shut off the robot. He had felt so helpless in that moment… to this day, that moment when Jeff realized that what he knew that his mother was going to die _and he couldn't do a damned thing about it _was the worst moment of his life.

That was when he heard the screams. Jeff could still hear his mother's vivid wails of pain ringing in his ears…

_I still can't get over that, can I? _Jeff asked. _And really, do I want to? "Get over"… what do those words mean? They basically mean to not focus on that incident, to forget that it ever happened. I don't want to forget how my mother died… I feel that if I really loved her, I should have the decency to remember her last moments._

Lasers flashed by Jeff as he thought, but he hardly noticed them.

_I felt so helpless when I couldn't help someone that I loved. And here I am again, helpless to make a difference. _

Jeff heard a scream from the other side of the door that could not have possibly belonged to Kumatora.

_Ness!_ Jeff realized._ I have to help! _

This could be Jeff's moment of redemption!

_Every time you try to help, someone ends up dead, _a part of his mind whispered viciously.

_No, _Jeff told himself. _Correlation, not causation. Kumatora would have died anyway If I hadn't been there. Mother… would have died anyway if I hadn't been there. I… can make a difference this time._

_I have to make a difference this time. Too much is on the line. _

Jeff gritted his teeth while firing a few rockets that cleaned up the rest of the pigmasks and threw open the silver doors that separated him from Ness. Inside, he saw Ness with his hands restrained by Kumatora, his face pale from terror and his eyes as wide as an owl's.

_This had better work! _Jeff told himself and fired a rocket at Ness and Kumatora.

The rocket hit Kumatora straight on, blasting her away from Ness, who was also caught in the blast radius. Ness healed himself with Lifeup and smiled at Jeff.

"See, you weren't a liability!" Ness exclaimed with a characteristic grin that lifted Jeff's spirits.

_I wasn't! _Jeff realized. _I finally accomplished something with my life!_

"I should have been a liability, logically," Jeff replied, letting himself return the smile. "But the world isn't ruled by logic alone. Our friendship means more than any logistic equation. Let's finish this together!"

"I can't agree more!" Ness exclaimed. "Let's put Kumatora out of her misery with our clichéd power of friendship like the stereotypical heroes that we are!"

"This doesn't matter!" Kumatora shouted, her human eye alight with rage. "NONE of this matters! I saw the world burn in one of my visions!"

"You mean the ones that predict the future?" Ness asked.

"Yes," Kumatora snarled, "And my visions are _never _wrong!"

"Is that so?" a voice from behind Jeff asked.

Jeff turned his head to see Claus standing in the silver doorway with a worried expression on his face. He wasn't the speaker, however…

Next to him stood Ana, who was smiling triumphantly at Kumatora's look of utter shock.


	28. Chapter 28: Giygas

**Phew! I did a lot of editing on this one; I'm trying to make these last few chapters really good. :)**

**Speaking of that, I still need to put in a lot of work on the next two chapters. Some of the moments that should be powerful simply... aren't, and I'm trying to find ways to change that. My plan is to get ch. 29 out on Wednesday and ch. 30 out on Friday, but I make no promises.**

**Also, talk about homosexuality... is that even controversial here? xD So many fanfics have same-sex pairings that I'm not really concerned. Should I be? Er... yeah, religion pops up a bit in this chapter too (it's actually related to the homosexuality talk). Still, other fanfics talk about religion and stuff, so I'm not too worried...**

**Review Responses:**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Haha, I think that we all say stuff like that every once in a while. ;) I get what you mean with Jeff. He's actually the character that I'm most disappointed with. **

**A Fan:**** Yeah, the parrying an axe with a bat is kinda dumb, but that's how it works in Earthbound, so... yeah.**

**Yeah, that's how action scenes work. :( I don't really like writing them all that much, but I felt that a confrontation between Kumatora and Ness was just bound to happen. You're right, I did say that I try to add emotion to my combat scenes, and I didn't really do that this time. I wanted to, but it wouldn't really make sense. Both Kuma and Ness utterly reject the validity of the other's beliefs, so a lot of it boils down to them yelling at each other. x.x**

**Did you notice the "Work in Progress" thing? I try to update that whenever I make an edit, which usually ends up being once a day.**

**JustMe. Hi:**** I'm glad that you enjoyed the victory. :)**

**Yeah, Voice was one of those characters (along with Ness) that just kinda popped out of nowhere. I was worried that he would be... too abstract, so I'm happy that isn't the case for you. :) No Lucas POV in this chapter, sadly... :(**

**SMF:**** Yup, I mentioned that Claus was standing next to Ana. I'm kinda sad that it will be done soon, but I'm honestly kind of relieved. I love writing, but this is by far my biggest project, and it does drag on for quite some time. It doesn't help that my favorite part is the actual writing and there isn't much of that left to do. **

**Still, I'm thinking about updating this after I'm done with random side stories (flashbacks, glimpses into the future). I already have one sorta written out, but it's not that good. xD**

**And yes, that is Lucca that you are seeing. :)**

* * *

_Can I hang onto something from my past life? Thinking about my mother, father, and brother brings only pain._

_Maybe… if I can find only sorrow in thinking about those that I love, I can find joy in thinking about those that I hate._

_Porky… you have ruled so much of my life. I suppose that it is only natural that you will rule my thoughts as well._

* * *

"How…?" Kumatora asked in a human voice, taking a step back in shock and blinking as if she were trying to wake up from a nightmare. "You! I saw you die in the gutters of New Pork! My visions… are never wrong."

"You said that I would die yesterday, yes?" Ana asked smugly. "I think that means that your vision _was _wrong_._"

"No…" Kumatora whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "Was I wrong all along? Is the world not destined to burn like I was told?"

Claus felt a pang of sorrow upon seeing Kumatora so pained. He wanted to do something to help, but he didn't know what would.

"Yup," Ana said simply. "You were wrong. End of story."

"I…" Kumatora's face paled. "I have to believe that the void gives me strength. I have to hang onto what I know… the world will end because your emotions make you weak…"

"If you think that, then we should fail _without _your intervention," Ness said coolly.

"Yes…" Kumatora whispered in wide-eyed realization. "Yes, that's right… it was supposed to be a test. I shouldn't have interfered."

"Well, now that you see the truth, we can just go on our ways, right?" Claus offered hopefully. "I mean… there's no reason to keep fighting, right?"

Kumatora shook her head.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew what I have done," she whispered darkly.

A wave of fear oscillated through Claus' body.

_No, did she…?_

"Did you kill Poo and Dr. Andonuts?" Claus asked carefully.

"What?" Ness exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "Poo… is dead?"

"My… father is dead?" Jeff asked weakly.

Kumatora said nothing, remaining as still as a statue.

"Did you hear me?" Claus asked gently, fearing the answer.

"I…" Kumatora let out, her voice shaking. "I didn't kill them, but I caused their deaths. That was not what I was referring to, though."

_What could possibly be worse than that? _Claus thought.

Ness' mouth opened in shock.

"Oh man," Ness said in wide-eyed horror. "Claus is going to _kill _you for that. I might not even be exaggerating."

_Uh-oh. _

"What is it?" Claus demanded, feeling that he might explode from not knowing.

Kumatora remained silent.

"Just tell him," Ness said softly. "He's going to find out eventually."

Kumatora nodded and gulped, her eyes staring at the ground with such intensity that Claus was surprised that she didn't bore holes into the golden floor.

"I… kidnapped Lucas and brainwashed him," Kumatora admitted darkly.

The room fell silent.

_No._

_It can't be possible._

_Lucas… isn't really brainwashed, is he?_

Claus's vision turned red. He could only see red… could only see blood…

Claus felt an overwhelming _rage. _With the world in front of him still appearing as a blanket of crimson, Claus walked up to Kumatora, feeling her body pulse in front of him. He raised his stick above his head to strike her, anger exploding from his heart and into the rest of his body. Claus almost felt like someone else was controlling his body like a puppet.

"No!" Ana shouted. "The damage has already been done! Please, Claus, remember what we talked about! Please…"

Claus hardly heard her words. Strings appeared on Claus' arms as he pulled his stick back further and gritted his teeth in agony.

_What the hell is happening? _He wondered in vain. _Am I… really doing this? Are these strings real?_

Claus tried to look around him, but his head was locked in place, showing him a sea of red. In his peripheral vision, Claus saw waterfalls around him that poured blood into the never-ending sea, splashing maliciously.

_I'm insane, _Claus thought. _Lucas' brainwashing drove me insane. Now I can only see a world filled with blood. _

"Please," Ana whispered desperately, her words ringing in Claus' head. "Can't you see how _terrified _she is?"

Terrified?

Claus' vision gradually returned to normal and he saw that Kumatora was _cowering _beneath him.

"I'm so sorry!" She begged. "But… no, that's not right. I'm not sorry at all, which is what scares me. I… still can't feel _anything._"

Claus dropped his stick, horrified at what he had been about to do.

_I… what the hell… I don't even know…_

"Kumatora!" Claus shouted in worry. "Are you… all right?"

"Why do you care, Claus?" Kumatora demanded. "Can't you see who I am?"

"I see who you can be," Claus said softly. "I see who you _will _be. Life isn't over yet, Kumatora. I'm sorry that I almost attacked you. Please… drop that terrified look. It doesn't suit you well."

Kumatora snorted.

"You expect me to just _stop _showing what I… wait!" Kumatora's eyes lit up. "I felt annoyance there! I _felt _something! I… had forgotten how good life can feel, even if I am annoyed with you."

Kumatora's human eye shot wide open as she examined the room around her, taking in all of the curious faces that examined her. A single tear came to Kumatora's eye, running down her face as she adopted a sorrowful look that had been hidden under her mask of zeal the entire time.

"It's… beautiful," Kumatora whispered. "Life… is beautiful. I see now what you mean when you said that, Claus. I cannot describe it, but something about your inefficient complexity appeals to me."

"See?" Claus encouraged. "We'll get you back to your old self! Just you wait!"

Kumatora broke into a half laugh, half sob.

"So optimistic…" she said in disbelief. "That can be a failing point, Claus. What happens if reality fails your expectations? You don't know how hard it is for me to feel _anything._"

"Hey," Claus said, putting his hand on Kumatora's shoulder and looking into her deep, azure eye. "There's no harm in trying."

"What if I kill you?" Kumatora asked harshly. "What if you let me get close to you and I end up _murdering_ you?"

"Well, that'll be a pity, but I'm willing to accept that danger if it means that you could be made whole again!" Claus exclaimed enthusiastically.

_You don't know just how strong you are, Kumatora, _Claus thought. _The fact that you can even try after what you've been through makes me so happy…_

"I'm not worth it," Kumatora said in self-loathing. "I… can finally see who I am now that my visions have been proven to be uncertain. I… adopted insane beliefs and wouldn't even _consider _the fact that I could be wrong, which kept me from catching myself before I ruined the lives of so many others. I should just kill myself right now. That way, I can't hurt anyone else."

"No!" Claus responded as a reflex. "No… please, you can't!"

"You sound like a child, Claus," Kumatora said sadly, shaking her head. "It's okay. I know how much I will lose in death. I'm willing to accept that if it means that I won't hurt anyone else."

"I wouldn't recommend that," Ana piped in. "I talked with Ninten's ghost, and he said that he wished that he had stayed alive and tried to overcome his brainwashing on his own."

Ana tried to blink out the tears that came to her eyes, but they ran down her face all the same.

"See, now I'm getting super emotional about it," she said with a wry laugh.

"Was Ninten your boyfriend?" Kumatora asked Ana. "Is that why he meant so much to you?"

"Ninten? No, he's gay. But that doesn't mean that I can't care about him. I loved him like a brother."

Kumatora nodded, seeming slightly perplexed as to how Ana could possibly care so much about someone that she wasn't romantically attracted to.

"Oh, wow," Ness said. "I didn't know. That Ninten was gay, I mean."

"Yup," Ana said. "It surprised me too. I think that it made him embarrassed and he was trying to keep it under the cover."

"Err…" Claus started. "This is probably a dumb question, but what's 'gay?' Doesn't that just mean 'happy'?"

Ana gave Claus a flat look, her face seeming to say: "Come on, really?"

"I swear, both you and Lucas must have lived under a _rock,_" Ana said. "Being homosexual or gay means that you're romantically attracted to the same gender that you are."

"Oh," Claus replied. "That's… weird."

"Is it, though?" Ana asked, "How do we define 'weird'? It just means something that's different. What's weird to us could be completely normal to somebody else."

"I guess…" Claus conceded, feeling somehow uncomfortable.

"Claus' sentiment is shared among many people small towns like Onett," Ness said sadly. "There are a lot of people who consider homosexuality strange and see it as something that should not be openly discussed. Unfortunately, many of these people try to discriminate against gays."

"Why?" Claus asked. "I mean… I still think that it's a bit strange, but there's no point in trying to ruin someone else's life."

Ana smiled in approval.

"If only there were more people like you, Claus. Some people just can't possibly accept that there are things outside of their narrow world. Others use religion as an argument against homosexuality as a principle with the same breath that they claim that they're spreading love. Hypocrites."

"How do they justify that?" Claus asked, feeling uncomfortable about Ana's harsh tone towards religion.

"Well," Jeff started, "Homosexuality kind of contradicts the whole 'god made men and women to marry each other and reproduce' thing."

"Oh," Claus replied.

"Heh, you should hear Paula go off about that," Ness said with a shiver. "She gets _scary _whenever someone mentions religion as a vehicle to oppose homosexuality. She always says something like 'these people are looking for an excuse, so they use religion to satisfy their own fixed principles and use that to oppress innocent people,' in a voice that can instill fear in a heart of iron. I guess it's natural, because religion means so much to her. She must feel awful when someone else is using the religion that she loves to discriminate against people."

"Paula?" Ana asked with a snort. "How was she scary? She always seemed so nice to me."

"Dude, you _do not _want to mess with Paula when she's mad," Ness said, legitimately looking terrified.

Ana laughed.

"It's so funny how you boys try to show off by acting strong and then get terrified so easily," she said with a superior smile.

"You don't understand," Ness said. "Jeff, help me out here."

"Paula does get scary when she discusses subjects that she has had negative experiences with, but getting into an actual fight is far more serious," Jeff responded. "I am forced to agree with Ana on this one."

"See?" Ana asked. "You're getting scared over something that's not a big deal."

"Hmph," Ness muttered. "You don't know true terror until you see Paula get mad."

"I've been meaning to ask this for a while," Claus cut in, "But how do you all know each other?"

"Oh, it's actually a pretty funny story," Ana said with a smirk. Ness blushed.

"Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo were on their journey to find the eight melodies and absorb the power of the eight sanctuaries," Ana started. "Their journey took them through New Pork City, where Ness saw me being chased by one of the boys at my school. Ness probably thought that he was a knight in shining armor, as he charged right in and _bravely_ tackled the boy that was chasing me."

Ness coughed uncomfortably.

"We were playing tag," Ana explained. "The boy chasing me was 'it.' I think that he got a few bruises…"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Ness exclaimed. "I was dumb and you made fun of me _plenty _right after it happened. Can we move on now?"

Ana laughed.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, "But you and Claus both get so defensive when I make fun of you. It's so rewarding!"

"I'm glad that you're entertained," Ness muttered wryly, provoking another laugh from Ana.

"Why do you humans reminisce about the past?" Kumatora asked in a way that killed the mood. "I mean, why does it matter how they met?"

"We look backwards because the past gives us our identity," Ness responded. "After all, we humans are nothing but flesh and memories, perhaps with a divine touch sprinkled in. As there is nothing psychologically defining about someone's flesh, we humans look to our memories to provide guidance. I will admit that some of us get stuck in the precarious webs of the past, not being able to look towards the future, but it is equally as dangerous to ignore those webs altogether. They can save your life by restraining you when you are about to walk off of a cliff of extremism without knowing it."

Kumatora blinked.

"Do you have a response like that to every question that I can ask?"

"I told you already," Ness answered with a smirk. "I think a _lot._"

_And you also can't talk without overusing metaphors, it seems, _Claus wanted to say.

"I… see," Kumatora said, seeming unsettled. "It seems that there is much that I still have to learn about the nature of humanity."

"Don't feel like you have to talk about it the way that Ness does," Jeff piped in. "After all, pretty much everyone here knows that he tends to overanalyze things," he finished with a playful wink.

"Guilty as charged!" Ness responded with a contagious grin.

"Interesting," Kumatora mused. "So this friendly banter of yours helps to build stronger bonds?"

"Well," Claus replied, "I guess it does, but that's not really the intent. We're just trying to have fun."

"Have fun…" Kumatora whispered. After a pause, she broke out into a chuckle. "It surprises me how abstract that idea seems…"

"Don't worry!" Claus exclaimed. "We'll get you back to your old self before you know it! All that you have to do is focus on improving."

"It still boggles my mind how little you hate me for what I did," Kumatora whispered darkly. "Why do you think that I'm worth it, Claus?"

Ana, Jeff, and Ness walked forward and gave Kumatora a supportive smile.

"Of course we don't hate you!" Jeff exclaimed. "Do you think that we are truly so blind to how you have felt? Even at the school, you were resigned and bitter. That's not natural for you, Kumatora. I can see glimpses of who you really are."

"Heh," Ness said with a casual shake of his head. "Jeff is correct. Underneath your metal shell, you have a heart of flesh like the rest of us do. You need to leave your protective shell of close-mindedness like a hermit crab seeking a larger home. You need to protect yourself with emotion rather than cold logic. Trust me; that will give you the drive that you need to surpass who you have ever been before."

"And it's even bigger than that," Ana piped in. "You're a symbol, Kumatora, a symbol of how New Pork's suffering cycles to cause even more pain. By making you whole, we show the whole world that New Pork's cycle of suffering can be broken by the power of emotion!"

"See?" Claus asked. "We're all in this together."

"Thank you," Kumatora whispered softly with enough gratitude to encompass the world. "Thank you Claus. Thank you, everyone."

_See? _Claus thought. _You're already on the right track, Kumatora! You'll be whole before you know it!_

Suddenly, a patch of the floor right in front of the vacant gold throne opened and a cage-like elevator appeared from below. A boy in a crab-like machine stepped out.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the boy wheezed in a tone that indicated that he couldn't care less if he was interrupting something.

* * *

"Porky," Ness said evenly, staring intently at the tyrant's closed eyelids. "Why do you look so old? You are the same age as I."

Porky coughed in a frenzy, managing to clear his throat after about 30 seconds.

"I am so old, Ness," Porky wheezed. "I discovered how to travel through time. I have been traveling through the past for _thousands_ of years. How did you think that I had built a city like this?"

"Honestly, I hadn't," Ness replied sharply.

"And you wonder why I've always _hated_ you," Porky said scornfully. "You always look down on other people, Ness. You never expected me to do _anything, _did you?"

"No," Ness replied honestly.

"That is why I am here, stuck in this cycle of pain," Porky wheezed with a low growl.

"What?" Ness asked, startled by Porky's assertion. "You're the ruler of the world. How can you feel pain?"

"I feel NOTHING BUT PAIN, NESS!" Porky shouted as loudly as his puny voice would let him. "And it's because YOU failed!"

"What?" Kumatora asked. "I never heard about this before."

Indeed, all of Ness' friends seemed perplexed. Ana looked at Porky skeptically like how a teacher would regard a troublemaker at school. Claus snarled at Porky, looking like he was about to fly into a rage. Jeff's face betrayed no emotion, but his bazooka was calmly pointed at Porky's crab machine.

"You failed to save the world, Ness!" Porky wheezed. "That is why I am here! It's all _your _fault!"

"Maybe it was because you tried to stop me!" Ness exclaimed reflexively, getting defensive as a result of Porky's accusatory attitude. "If you had just minded your fat little business…"

"There you go again with the petty insults, Ness," Porky chided, "But I don't care anymore. Tell me, Ness, didn't you know that regular people like me would be twisted by Giygas' evil reach?"

Ness felt a sinking feeling enter his body. He _had _known that.

"Doesn't that mean that it wasn't really me but Giygas who was opposing you?" Porky continued.

Did it? Ness wasn't so sure… it seemed like Porky should take at least _some _responsibility.

"It does," Porky stated. "And after you failed, I had to take it on myself to save the world."

"You?" Ness asked incredulously.

"Your heroic superiority disgusts me, Ness," Porky wheezed. "Yes, I tried to save the world. And I succeeded!"

_No, that's not possible, _Ness thought. Had _Porky _really saved the world when Ness had failed? That made Ness feel sick to his stomach.

"How did you defeat Giygas?" Jeff asked suspiciously. "Only we were supposed to have the power to kill him."

"I'm glad you asked," Porky wheezed. "Because I didn't kill Giygas."

"Wha…" Ness didn't know what to say.

"If you didn't defeat him, where is he?" Ana demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Porky asked wearily. For a few seconds, a nauseating darkness filled the transparent capsule in the crab machine that Porky sat in, obscuring any view of the child tyrant. "Giygas… IS… IN… HERE… WITH… ME!"

_No, _Ness thought. _It can't be._

Ness' legs almost forgot how to hold the rest of his body up. His knees started to buckle.

"Giygas has been in there with you for thousands of years?" Ness asked in sympathetic horror.

"Not so quick to judge now, are you?" Porky affirmed.

_Porky… how much pain have you truly experienced? _

The least that Ness could do was pity him.

"Oh, boo hoo," Claus said viciously. "Nice sob story, freak!"

"Claus!" Jeff exclaimed in alarm. "Can't you see how much he's suffered?"

"Can't _you _see how much suffering he's caused?" Claus replied, silencing Jeff.

"Porky is just like me, but even more lost," Kumatora rasped. "Pain twisted both of us into people that we normally would have hated. If you were willing to muster some pity for me, then you should give him the same courtesy."

"But…" Claus fumbled. "This is Porky! You know, the source of all of our problems?"

"Giygas is the one to blame," Ness muttered, "And Giygas is just a physical manifestation of zeal."

Ness had worked that out in his head after he had failed. At first, he had assumed that Giygas represented strife and defeating him would bring humans into a utopia. But that wasn't right; there would always be strife in this world. Those under the influence of Giygas simply caused additional strife because of their zeal, a malicious mixture of eagerness and single-mindedness that turned friends and neighbors against each other. Defeating Giygas… would stop Monotoli's industrial regime and the Happy Happyist cult, but they wouldn't stop ordinary squabbles.

Utopias simply didn't exist.

"So, are we going to put this tub lord out of his misery?" Claus asked. "If we pity him, then shouldn't we end his suffering?"

"It's not possible," Kumatora answered darkly. "Look at his machine closely."

Ness followed the order directed at Claus and saw that there was some kind of… transparent goo that was smothered on Porky's crab robot?

"That gel is psionic," Kumatora explained.

"No!" Jeff and Claus exclaimed simultaneously, faces betraying horror that was only the tip of the iceberg compared to what they must have felt.

"What?" Ana asked.

"Is it the gel that makes him virtually invincible?" Claus asked timidly.

"Not just virtually," Kumatora responded darkly. "He's covered in a psionic gel that makes him _literally invincible._"

"I guess… my father did a better job with that then he thought," Jeff said sadly. "It's so sad… his last creation on this world will throw us into hopelessness."

"What's more," Kumatora continued, "The gel wears off slower than carbon-14 decays."

Ana gasped, Jeff's eyes widened in shock, and Ness and Claus were completely lost.

"It takes over 5000 years for half of a sample of carbon-14 to decay radioactively," Ana explained in horror.

_Oh man, _Ness thought. _That's a long time. _

Ness was forced to face the reality of the situation. Even if he and his friends won and saved the world, Porky would still be around to wreak havoc wherever he pleased for thousands of years. That… hardly seemed like a victory.

Porky broke into laughter that eventually devolved into a coughing fit.

"Yes…" Porky wheezed. "You cannot kill me. You cannot stop me. No matter what, _you lose._"

"Why do you want to destroy the world?" Ness asked. "If you wanted to save the world before, why destroy it now?"

"This world is mine to do with as I please!" Porky exclaimed. "I saved the world, so it's mine now."

_You're dead wrong about that, _Ness thought but didn't voice his opinion.

"Still, why destroy it?" Ness asked.

"I… am afraid that Giygas will take control of me," Porky wheezed. "If I kill everyone, it won't matter who influences me! I'll finally be able to give in. That will be nice…"

_Hmm, _Ness thought. _So does "destroying the world" only mean wiping out all of the life forms on it?_

"But…" Jeff sputtered. "That doesn't make sense! If Giygas were to take control of you, he'll have you destroy the world. You're doing exactly what he wants!"

"I think that Giygas is manipulating him," Kumatora said heavily. "Porky resists Gigyas' direct attempts to control him, but just barely. After thousands of years, it can be hard to maintain one's sense of self. Giygas has subtly pushed Porky to end the world on his own, accomplishing its destructive goal without alerting Porky that he's being controlled."

"Oh man," Claus said. "That's _terrifying._"

"Life can be," Kumatora said simply.

_No kidding, _Ness thought. What would it be like, not to be able to even know when you were being twisted into someone malicious and pathetic? Ness shivered. _Porky… I'm so sorry for every bad thing I've said about you. _

"Still," Porky wheezed, "I will enjoy watching you struggle to save the world. The final needle is below this tower. This elevator that I came out of leads down there. If you can beat the warriors that I stationed there, the last needle will be yours! So go on and struggle! I will enjoy watching you suffer, Ness, just as you suffered in Magicant!"

_Hm… so the sound stone's placement was Porky's doing? _Ness wondered._ That makes more sense than Samba actually finding it._

"Yeah right!" Claus shouted. "Like you'd actually let us pull the needle if we win! This is obviously a trap."

"Maybe it is," Porky wheezed and stepped back onto the elevator, riding it down into oblivion. The elevator reappeared after a minute, empty and scarily inviting.

"We're not _actually _going to take that thing, are we?" Claus asked.

"Do we have any other options?" Kumatora replied.

"So you're in this with us?" Jeff asked.

"I… guess," Kumatora responded uneasily. "I'll work with you and see how this plays out."

_Well, Porky didn't seem to mind that Kumatora was having second thoughts… _Ness thought. _In fact, he didn't even seem to notice._

"Kumatora is right," Ness said, wanting to act swiftly. "We don't have any other leads at the moment. Maybe Porky is actually sincere. It would inflict more pain on us if we were closer to achieving our goal before failing. Besides, Porky just implied that he directed me towards Magicant so that I would suffer more, even though I became far stronger by visiting that place. I think that so long as we squirm and squeal, he'll be willing to risk his plan."

Claus conceded the point with a shrug and a few grumbles. The five kids stepped into the cage-like elevator and sent it flying down the shaft.

_Just what will we find below? _Ness asked himself.

* * *

Claus stepped out of the elevator in a place that he didn't recognize. The ground was made of black stone, although purple puddles formed in the miniature valleys of the landscape. The sun didn't shine down here; Claus could only see dark in every direction that he looked. Still, there was somehow enough light for him to make out his dreary surroundings.

The land that he stood on was shattered and fragmented with a void extending downward into infinity around the cold stone of the earth.

_This place creeps me out, _Claus thought uneasily.

He could hear otherworldly noises from further inside, making the place seem remote and somehow quiet.

"Wow, talk about dreary," Ana said in wonder, breaking the silence.

"We shouldn't dally here," Kumatora asserted, not seeming to notice the dark atmosphere. "We need to panic if we want to play into Porky's game. Otherwise, he might decide to end this."

Claus nodded, a chill running down his spine. Ness and Jeff looked equally unnerved.

Ana and Kumatora walked forward, halting after a few seconds when they realized that the others weren't following.

"Hurry up!" Ana shouted. "We don't have time to sit here gawking at the dark scenery!"

"Right," Claus replied, blinking back into the present. He jogged forward, Ness and Jeff following hesitantly.

It continued like that for some time. More shattered land split by chasms, more openings into the void, more unearthly noises that put Claus on edge.

"Wait," Kumatora said suddenly, motioning the rest of them to stop. "There's someone ahead. I can hear breathing."

_Who could it be? _Claus wondered, feeling nauseous from anticipation.

Slowly, the group of teenagers walked forward until they could see a person on his hands and knees, panting heavily.

"Father!" Claus shouted, his heart leaping out of hope and terror.

The man looked up. It was indeed Flint.

"Claus," Flint said, his voice betraying a fearful pain that Claus had never heard before.

That scared Claus more than it should have. His father… afraid? The notion seemed laughable. But here he was on his hands and knees, terrified by something ahead.

"What is it, father?" Claus asked, rushing over and kneeling on the dark, stone floor next to Flint.

"Claus," his father repeated. "Lucas is ahead. He's been… brainwashed. My son has been turned into a monster."

The sheer amount of pain in those words broke Claus' heart.

"It's okay," Claus comforted, putting a hand on his father's shoulder. "We can pull the final needle and the dragon will return Lucas back to normal."

_Will the dragon help Lucas, though? _Claus wondered. _Or will death be his only way out? _

If Claus was forced to kill his brother, he wasn't sure that he could do it.

"Claus, be careful out there," Flint cautioned. "I can't bear to lose both of you."

_If I fail, the world ends and I'll die no matter what, _Claus thought but said nothing.

"Are these your friends?" Flint asked, looking at the rest of the teenagers.

"Yes," Claus replied. "This is Ness, Jeff, Ana, and… Kumatora."

"A cyborg?" Flint asked.

"Yes," Kumatora replied. "I am a killing machine that is trying to learn how to feel."

_Don't say that! _Claus sent to Kumatora. _He's already worried enough…_

_Sorry, _Kumatora replied. _I cannot read other people's emotions well if I do not even understand mine._

_…__It's okay. _

Claus heard metallic laughter from above. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of light that made him feel woozy. He balanced himself and turned back to see Flint crumple to the ground.

"No!" Claus shouted, taking his father's pulse. Thankfully, he was still alive.

"Claus…Kumatora… I owe you much," a distant voice rasped. "Even in death, you gave me purpose."

Who was that?

Another cyborg flew down from the oblivion above, metallic plating covering most of his face. A total of eight trumpets flowed out of his nostrils and mouth, two of them spitting fire like a jetpack, keeping him levitated. His legs were fully made out of steel. Claus almost didn't recognize him.

"Fassad!" Claus shouted. "You died! Twice!"

"And now… I am back," Fassad rasped metallically, each word coming out strangled. "I am back for revenge, puny child."

"Leave him to me," Kumatora said with a heavy sigh. "We are both created to destroy. If we destroy each other then we cannot harm those who actually live."

Those words tugged on Claus' heartstrings. He wanted to deny every word, but… they were true, in a way. If Kumatora wanted to join the good guys, she should start with fighting those who were more robot than human. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about remorse.

"But… are you going to be okay?" Claus asked.

"She will not be alone," came another emotionless voice.

Claus looked behind to see Paula and Lloid. Both of them wore neutral faces.

"We have decided to assist you," Lloid continued, "And we will try to overcome our brainwashing. Taking down this atrocity… will be a good way to start."

"Paula, you were… brainwashed?" Ana asked, concern drowning out all other emotions in her voice.

"Yes," Paula replied evenly, "And just like our cyborg friend here, I am trying to learn how to feel again."

She offered a smile that seemed forced.

_Oh man, _Claus thought. _Paula used to be so kind and sensitive… how much does the world lose when someone like her is reduced to a shell of their former self?_

"Paula, will you be okay?" Jeff asked.

"I… think that I am back to normal, at least in my morals and psionic strength," Paula replied. "Do not fear, Jeff. If I go astray once more, I will listen to Lloid. He had been brainwashed by his parents, so he knew that what we were doing felt _wrong. _So long as I show restraint when Lloid feels that we are lapsing back into zeal, I should be all right."

"You should go," Kumatora told Claus. "The clock ticks. The last needle is our utmost priority."

Claus nodded and bounded to his feet, feeling a sense of regret at leaving his father unconscious.

_He would want me to continue if he knew what was at stake, _Claus told himself.

"Traitors," Fassad rasped. "I will kill… there will be blood."

Claus tore himself away from the conflict and sprinted forward, Ana, Jeff, and Ness following him. After a couple minutes, Claus saw the golden needle, radiating a holy light. For a second, Claus was frozen in awe, unable to force words out of his mouth

"That's it!" Claus finally shouted. "Let's go!"

The masked man flew up from oblivion and landed on the cold, stone floor in front of them, baring his orange sword emotionlessly.

"I will enjoy watching this," came a strained voice from below.

Porky hopped up onto a nearby ledge, coughing and laughing.

"Lucas…" Claus whispered to the masked man. "Is that really you?"

"Well," Ness said, his eyes narrowing in determination as he looked Claus in the eye. "This is it."

"Let's save the world for those who haven't suffered like we have!" Ana exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

"It's time to prove that we are worthy of this world as humans and not robots," Jeff said with a rare smile on his face.

Claus nodded, surprised that he was able to feel determination in the heavy world around him.

"All right, let's fight like hell!"

The masked man charged.


	29. Chapter 29: Memories

**Hey, Everyone! :D**

**My Calc BC and AP Lit grades just got put into the online grading book, and I have an A in both! :D I'm especially excited about Calc; I know multiple people who aced the math SAT who can't pull an A in that class. And in Lit, I got a 99/100 on my essay. I had to analyze war poems, so I brought up the looking at death as a number of individuals rather than a group (thanks Ana). Who says that fanfiction is useless? :D**

**Er... sorry if your grades are worse than mine and I just reminded you of something terrible. D: I'm not trying to brag; I promise! I'm just... really happy. xD**

**So, if you've been reading my ANs then you should already know this, but ****This is not the last chapter.**** Chapter 30 is coming either tomorrow or Friday (probably Friday). After that, I'm planning on doing some bonus stuff with this story. Think of it as the equivalent of DLC... but the smash bros kind, not the Splatoon kind (no hate intended).**

**So... yeah. There are some parts in this chapter where I don't feel like I vividly portrayed what the characters were feeling, but after a lot of time spent on this chapter, this is about as good as it's going to get without me pausing to take more writing classes in between. xD **

**Enjoy! :)**

**Review Responses:**

**SMF:**** Huh, I played Sacred Stones a while ago and don't remember much about it. xD Maybe it was subconsciously feeding me ideas...? :O Thanks for the encouragement! :)**

**MattWithTheLolz:**** Dude, are you okay? ;) Seriously, though, it's fine if you can't feel for Porky. Everyone has different interpretations, and who am I to say that yours is wrong?**

**Phoesong:**** Heh, thanks! :) As for the Claus thing, I took a lot of inspiration from magical realism, which we talked about in AP Lit. Not sure if you've studied this, but the idea is that it uses magical elements to better portray something about reality. So while Claus' reaction could be viewed as a metaphor, it could also be viewed as being perfectly literal yet impossible. That being said, your view is obviously fine. ;)**

**Yeah, acceptance of emotion is something that I ****_always _****manage to write about. xD Glad that you like it! :)**

**A Fan:**** Ohmygosh that was totally a conflict of plot points! D: *facepalms* That actually really bugs me because I dislike it when other writers do that... and while it may be tempting to say that New Pork was Fourside, it wouldn't explain how they met Ana. :( So... I have two ways to get out of this one:**

**1\. I never said directly in the story that the failure to defeat Giygas was the splitting point, so I can just take back what I wrote in my ANs (lame, I know).**

**2\. I could say that the splitting of universes is determined by something else rather than time. Splitting along a... 5th dimension, if you will. That way, there is a process for splitting that isn't visible to the human senses, giving me an excuse for the time contradiction (also lame, I know).**

**So... yeah. :( Also, you caught me with the Paula/Lloid thing. I kinda threw them in while I was writing it, not bothering to plan it out below. Still, it does make some logical sense... Paula and Lloid can take a large amount of pigmasks and Jeff already killed quite a few of them...**

**And Lucas and Voice will have a major role; don't worry! :) And hey, your reviews are ****_always _****helpful! Even if you just mention something random that you notice then it often leads to moments of inspiration.**

**JustMe. Hi:**** Sorry. D: There wasn't really a way around a confrontation. As for Voice, you'll see that he may have other things on his mind...**

**And I don't think that it's ironic at all that you were saying Amen in that situation! :) After all, religion is about helping and loving people, right? As for Claus, I'll try to explain what he's thinking/feeling: **

**I agree that it's not good for Claus to forget about Lucas, but that's just the kind of person that he is. Claus is someone who take life one issue at a time without pausing to think about everything that he has to do. That's not always a bad thing. I'm polar opposite of that, and it causes me to worry about ****_everything, _****which makes me so anxious that I am often paralyzed by indecision. I'm not saying that Claus is right in what he does, but... the alternative is also scary. D:**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Hey, my rants take up 500-1k words in my story, so don't feel shy! ;)**

**Yup, Kumatora's realization was cliche (dunno how to get an accent mark...), and it did annoy me. However, I still feel that the chapter was better with it. And it's fine if you can't feel sympathy for Porky. I do have something coming up that may change your mind... but maybe not. **

**Oh, you actually check my profile? It's nice to see that people actually care! :) I'm sad that this one is ending too, but I'm also kinda exhausted. And hey, I think I'm going to do extra stuff (random scenes from future/past) so that will be fun. :) And yeah, it's horrifying that Hinawa told Claus to kill himself. What's even more horrifying imo is how she said "You must be so exhausted." Claus is friggen 13! He shouldn't be tired of life yet! He's so young! There's so much left that he could do... and now he'll never have the chance. I'm tearing up just typing this... ;_;**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:**** Thanks! :) **

**Yeah, I would not want to make Claus mad either. *shivers* Claus doesn't get that mad often, though... thank goodness! :) Yup, the Porky saving the world thing took my by surprise as well, and I was the one who wrote it! xD I was thinking "How can I make Porky like Mother 3, yet have a reason for being evil that isn't some sacrifice for the greater good idealism?" and that was what I came up with. As for plot twists, there are more coming! ;) There's a pretty big one this chapter. At least, I think that it's a plot twist... It's related to something pretty obvious about Voice, so I was worried that people would start asking questions... but nobody did yet. **

**And hey, don't feel like you have to stop yourself when writing reviews! Do you see how long my ANs are? xD ...Or did you mean stop the narrator thing? Cuz I don't mind that either. :)**

* * *

_As I look back on my life, I realize that I do not want to die. I want to live and grow like a tree, stationary, reliable, unbounded._

_I want to feel the sun's rays shine on me in New Tazmily._

_That fantasy seems so close, yet it is worlds away…_

_Sunlight…_

_New Tazmily…_

_My hand shakes out of nostalgia upon writing those words._

* * *

"Are you ready for this, Voice?" Lucas asked softly, seeing Claus and his friends approach on a screen of darkness that showed what was happening in the outside world.

"…As ready as I will ever be, I suppose," Voice replied with a painful sigh. "I'm not sure if I'm strong enough, though. Feeling my brother die in my arms almost destroyed me. I don't think that I can go through that again."

_So… his version of Claus is dead? _Lucas wondered. _I suppose that I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, his mother died in a different way than mine… _

Lucas still wasn't sure how that could be possible, but after looking at the slight frown that stood out on Voice's stoic face, he figured that now was not the time to ask.

"I have to do this," Voice said to himself as he closed his eyes. "There is no other option. I _cannot _fail, no matter what I do…"

Lucas shivered. The fear of failure could be powerful indeed. He had remembered how he had been afflicted with a similar fear for most of his life, causing him not to take many risks. Voice reminded Lucas so much of who he used to be…

"It begins," Voice whispered heavily as their body started to use a PSI ability.

* * *

"PK Love Omega," The masked man said emotionlessly.

The hexagons that flew from his head seemed so familiar to Claus by now, and so was the pain that accompanied the attack. Claus gritted his teeth, taking the attack in stride. He wasn't going to falter _this _early. He turned to see his friends wearing similar expressions of determination after they had been hit by the masked man's PSI.

"Lifeup Omega!" Ness countered, healing the entire party as his irises flashed with resilience.

"Thanks," Claus said gratefully.

"There's no time to chat!" Jeff replied as he fired lonely missiles through the oppressive darkness.

"PK Beam Gamma!" Ana shouted, firing a large laser beam at the masked man.

Claus flinched as both attacks hit the masked man, having no visible effect.

_Can I watch my friends hurt Lucas? _Claus wondered. _Can… I hurt Lucas? _

A primal sorrow welled up in Claus at the thought of his brother getting hurt. He had always tried to protect Lucas… and now this. Claus wanted to scream and punch the black, stone earth beneath him. But he couldn't, not in a combat situation.

Instead, he looked into Lucas' empty eyes.

_Lucas… you're begging for a way out, aren't you? I know that you must be horrified at having killed Poo and Dr. Andonuts. You just want to die so that you can't hurt anyone else, don't you?_

As much as it hurt Claus, he couldn't deny Lucas' wishes. He would try to save Lucas, but he knew that he would have to prioritize the world's safety over his brother's.

That's what Lucas would have wanted.

_But first, I should try something…_

"I'm going to go for the needle!" Claus shouted and broke into a sprint.

The needle was so close… each step that Claus took put him closer to saving the world. The pressure weighed on Claus like a boulder.

_Man, _he thought. _It must be the worst feeling in the world if someone fails when they are this close. Ness and his friends must have been devastated when they were defeated… _

"PK Wall," The masked man whispered, and a translucent purple barrier cut Claus off from the needle.

_NO! _Claus thought. He had been so close… and now that hope had been snatched away.

* * *

Voice gritted his teeth as the psionic wall blocked Claus from reaching the needle. Lucas had quickly learned that Voice didn't display emotion often; a grimace from him was the equivalent of a regular person breaking into a screaming fit.

"What was that?" Lucas asked carefully.

"Isn't it obvious?" Voice snapped, and then widened his eyes in horror. "I'm… sorry, Lucas. I didn't mean to yell. It's just that Porky is launching an assault on our mind in hopes of getting some of my more powerful PSI. I am… strained, to put it lightly."

A feeling of sympathy ravaged Lucas. _I had no idea… _

Lucas looked at Voice and saw the entire world atop of his hunched shoulders.

"How can you take it, Voice?" Lucas whispered in awe.

The words hadn't been meant for Voice to hear, but his face softened as he favored Lucas with a sad smile.

"I can take it because I have to, Lucas."

* * *

"Did you think that I wouldn't account for such a simple hole in my plans?" Porky asked with a condescending laugh.

_Yes, _Claus thought bitterly.

The masked man bounded forward and landed a swift series of attacks on Ness, who fumbled to heal himself.

"Lifeup-"

The masked man swatted Ness' hand away with his sword, not allowing Ness to complete the manifestation of the ability. Ness squirmed and tried to get away, but the masked man struck him with a low, sweeping arc of his sword, tripping him and sending him fumbling to the ground with a light thud.

Jeff fired a rocket towards the masked man, who responded by nimbly leaping out of the way. The rocket continued on its trajectory and exploded right next to Ness.

"Lifeup gamma," Ness wheezed, his eyelids fluttering open. "Phew! Thanks, Jeff."

"You're thanking him for blowing you up?" Ana asked.

"Lucas knows how to interrupt healing PSI," Ness explained, shaking his head in self-disappointment. "I would have been dead if Jeff hadn't given me some room. I should have been able to escape on my own, but not being able to rely on Lifeup is a new experience for me."

The world around Claus seemed to get darker. Around the black ground, all else disappeared, leaving Claus and his friends isolated on an island with the masked man. Blue and red patterns lined the outermost reaches of the darkness.

"What is this?" Claus asked, gritting his teeth. "It feels like we are immersed in a separate world. Is this some sort of PSI?"

"No…" Ana replied, seeming confused as well. "My PSI Magnet aura didn't pick up anything."

"Watch out!" Jeff exclaimed as the masked man barreled towards Claus at speeds that shouldn't have been possible.

Claus jumped back and the masked man's sword sliced in the air that used to contain his chest. The masked man swung to the side. Claus blocked the attack with his stick, which must have been psionically enchanted, as it didn't snap like Claus had feared that it would. However, the sheer force of the masked man's blow flung the stick away from Claus' grasp.

"Damn it!" Claus swore. "When did you become so powerful, Lucas?"

"PK Freeze gamma!" Ana shouted, the attack providing enough time for Claus to run and retrieve his stick.

"He was quite powerful when he fought me for the first time," Ness said, furrowing his brow in thought. "He mentioned some kind of inner being that gives him combat strength when we conversed in Magicant. I believe that being is the main contributor to his martial prowess."

_Wait, you talked to Lucas in Magicant? _Claus thought. Why did nobody ever tell him these things?

"No way!" Ana exclaimed. "An inner being that gives combat powers… that's insane!"

"There has always been something odd about Lucas," Jeff said softly. "Ness' story seems a bit far-fetched, but it would make sense."

_It would explain how he was able to put up that wall… _

Claus heard Porky's laughter in the distance, although he could not see the tub lord himself.

"Do you see how you struggle in vain?" Porky wheezed. "You cannot beat my monster. This is him _without _his godlike PSI."

Ness gritted his teeth.

"Yes, Lucas did claim that this being had godlike _PSI, _now that I think about it."

"PK Love Omega," the masked man whispered, brilliant blue hexagons slicing through the darkness in a tessellation pattern and slamming into the other four teenagers.

"Lifeup Omega! Lifeup Gamma!" Ness used the Omega Lifeup to heal all of them and used the Gamma version to further heal himself.

"Look at fancy pants Ness, who has so much life that an Omega Lifeup can't heal it all," Claus teased, provoking a grim smile from Ness.

"Heh," Ness said wryly. "I think that I'll run out of psionic power before Lucas does."

_That's not Lucas! _Claus wanted to scream into the darkness. _There's another person inside of that body of his! _

"PK Thund-" Ana started.

"Stop!" Claus exclaimed, throwing his palm out in front of Ana in panic. "He'll reflect it back at you."

Ness looked closely at Lucas and gasped.

"How does he have the Franklin Badge?"

"Paula gave it to me and I gave it to him," Claus explained quickly.

The masked man took advantage of the pause in combat and charged towards the four teenagers, spinning like a whirlwind. He lashed out with his sword, elbow, foot, whatever he could, somehow managing to send all four of them to the ground.

_Oof! _Claus thought as he slammed into the black, stone earth. _How is that even physically possible? _

The masked man stepped up and raised his sword to strike Claus.

"Claus!"

That voice… _No… it can't be…_

"Claus!" Flint repeated, dashing towards the masked man.

"Father!" Claus shouted in horror. "Stay back! You don't know how dangerous Lucas is!"

Flint didn't listen to Claus and tried to tackle Lucas. With an effortless motion, the masked man flicked his sword, separating Flint's head from the rest of his body.

For a moment, the world was silent.

_No… _Claus thought. _NOOO! This… can't… be… happening… everyone that I love is dying around me, and I CANNOT DO A THING TO SAVE THEM!_

* * *

"It's over!" Lucas shouted, falling to his knees and burying his face in his hands. "I can't go on anymore!"

Part of Magicant detached, floating away into the infinite darkness below. Lucas had just killed his own father. He couldn't believe it. He had just _killed his own father! _

"You have to keep going!" Voice demanded pleadingly. "We don't have a choice."

"I CAN'T!" Lucas wailed. "I… can't… go on."

"Please!" Voice begged, his iron eyes revealing an inner sense of alarm that took Lucas by surprise. "You don't know how much is on the line!"

"The whole world is on line!" Lucas yelled. "I know that!"

"No," Voice whispered softly. "There's more than the world at stake here."

"How is that… possible?" Lucas asked.

"Remember, Porky is trying to gain control of my psionic powers. I have PSI that could allow him to do more than just destroy the world, and if you give up then it weakens our collective resistance."

Lucas only had to look into Voice's ancient, pained eyes to see that he was completely sincere. He shivered, clutching his arms out of habit.

_What could possibly be worse than the end of the world, _Lucas wondered, not sure that he wanted to know.

"But… how can I keep going after _that_?" Lucas asked hopelessly. "I'm only human, Voice."

"Remember what your mother said about your bond with Claus back when you first came to Magicant!" Voice exclaimed. "You need to hang onto your love for him, Lucas. You're… lucky that your brother is still alive."

Lucas nodded, feeling part of the world's weight fall on his shoulders as he shared the burden with Voice.

"I… guess that I can try. That's what… father would have wanted."

* * *

Jeff felt the heavy atmosphere weigh him down. Claus was looking at his father's corpse in wonder, and Jeff couldn't blame him. He had probably been more of a wreck when his mother had died…

Jeff sighed weakly, tears coming to his eyes. The masked man was too strong. _Lucas _was too strong. Jeff remembered how kind Lucas had been to him… it tore him apart now to give up on putting Lucas' painful existence to rest, but he wasn't strong enough.

_I've never been strong enough, _he thought. _I've always been the sniveling kid in the corner who gets picked on. I'm worthless…_

"Jeff!"

Jeff looked around. Nothing.

"Jeff!"

The ghost of his mother appeared, wearing a playful smile.

"Mother!" Jeff exclaimed, a foreign feeling of happiness overtaking him. "I… should be ashamed to face you."

Jeff turned away to stare into the empty darkness.

"Jeff, you have always been too hard on yourself," his mother said with a smirk. "Come on, get up off of the floor and fight!"

"There's no hope," Jeff said harshly. "I can't save the world, just like I couldn't save you."

"I know that you can be stronger than this," his mother said.

That stung.

"I'm… strong," Jeff pleaded. "Lucas is just stronger. He was able to take all of us at once. What chance do we possibly have?"

"Are you going to be beaten by someone who can't even feel? Come on, you know that having a purpose is more important than anything else!"

"Having a purpose didn't let me save you," Jeff muttered bitterly.

"Passion doesn't let you navigate computer programs, but it can allow your body to reach its maximum potential."

"I… guess," Jeff conceded, seeing the reason in his mother's words.

"I don't blame you at all for my death," Jeff's mother said with a warm smile. "There was nothing that you could have done. But now there is. If you give up now, I _will _blame you. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, Jeff. It only matters that you _try._ And I know that you can do great things, Jeff."

Jeff nodded slowly.

"I suppose… that one more shot couldn't hurt," Jeff admitted, provoking a proud smile from his mother.

"Your father sends his regards," she said and faded away.

Jeff picked himself up, determined not to give up so easily.

* * *

Another corpse. After seeing so many, Ana thought that she would have gotten used to them by now.

Not so.

It was the opposite effect, really. Seeing so many lifeless bodies made her hypersensitive to death in the way that a child who had been abused by their parents flinches when someone so much as raises a hand to strike them.

_We can't win, _Ana thought. _Should I just give up? _

"Ana, you could not have made us more proud."

That voice… Ana looked up to see the ghosts of her parents floating there, a sweet smile on both of their faces.

"Mother!" Ana exclaimed, tears of indescribable joy coming to her eyes. "Father! I haven't seen you in so long…"

"You are a wonderful person, Ana," her father said in a way that made Ana swell with pride. "You rightfully should have been destroyed by what you experienced."

Ana's mind flashed back to Snowman. Ana was huddling over her parents' corpses, desperately clutching her snow globe while the wind raged on around her. She shuddered as she came back to the present.

"But you weren't destroyed," her mother picked up. "You survived and even thrived in the harshest of conditions like a cactus in a desert."

_Huh, _Ana thought. _That analogy is even more of a compliment considering that each cactus releases millions of seeds and only a few survive long enough to reproduce. _

"Just you watch!" Ana exclaimed. "I'll do more than survive! I'm going to save this damn world, and…"

_…Wait. _Ana scowled, realizing that she had just been manipulated into giving the fight a second shot. Her parents laughed warmly.

"We believe in you, Ana," her father said. "You can do this."

Ana nodded. For that second, she really did believe that she _could _save the world.

"Goodbye," her mother said. "It was so wonderful to see you again, and all grown up, too!"

"Goodbye," Ana whispered back after her parents' ghosts had faded away.

* * *

_So much for being stronger from my sanctuary locations, _Ness thought bitterly. _Lucas' strength is on a different level. _

Ness sighed and closed his eyes.

_I thought that I just had to take baby steps to get better, but that doesn't matter now that the world is going to end. That makes me sad._

Ness looked at Lucas, who was fighting halfheartedly with Claus.

_I wonder why he didn't take this chance to slaughter us all… _Ness thought, looking at Ana and Jeff, who were lying on the ground helplessly.

Ness tried to take a step forward and fell to the ground.

_So… this is how it ends, _Ness thought. _I'm in perfect physical condition, but I don't have the mental strength to take a single step forward. Pathetic. _

"Ness."

That voice… it made Ness want to fly into a rage. But… it was strangely devoid of hostility.

Ness' father's ghost appeared in front of him. Ness just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"I suppose that this is better than I expected," Ness' father said with a genuine smile that looked so _wrong. _"I was anticipating that you would fly into a frenzy… no offense or anything."

"Your voice was human," Ness responded simply.

"So you can tell that I am different," his father said with a sad smile. "That's only natural, as I was brainwashed by the pigmasks during my life."

Ness' eyes jolted wide open.

"You were… brainwashed?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" his father responded with a wink. "I was one of the test subjects to see if brainwashing could work on humans. Needless to say, it worked. It… hurt me so much, to be a pawn of Porky's like that. Of course, I only realized it after I had died…"

"I… am sorry for that," Ness said sincerely.

"I don't blame you," his father replied. "Just as you say, someone's situation may not make their actions any less wrong, but it makes those actions far easier to forgive."

Ness blinked.

"I… do say that, but I got it from mom."

"And your mother got it from me," his father said warmly.

_No way, _Ness thought.

He wasn't sure why that surprised him, but it did. Maybe it was because he never really knew his father, and now he had a piece of him that he could hang onto…

"But the saddest part of dying was the fact that I would never be able to see you and Tracy again."

"Wait," Ness said. "You _cared _about us?"

His father looked hurt.

"Of course I did! I'm your father."

Ness felt an intense shame. After receiving nothing but neglect from his father, he had just assumed that his father didn't even notice him or Tracy.

"I'm sorry," Ness whispered. "I never knew."

Ness' father looked at him sadly.

"The fault is mine," he said softly. "My family was quite poor when I was a child, you see. Even after you and Tracy had been born, your mother and I were stuck in deep debt. More than anything, I wanted you to be shielded from the pains of having to constantly worry about money. That's why I spent so much time at work. I figured that if I could make enough money for the family… that you and Tracy could live the lives that I never had a chance to."

"Father," Ness said, tears coming to his eyes. "We never cared about money. All that Tracy and I ever wanted… was a father to play with. It would have meant so much more to us if we had gotten to _know _you. After all, there's a staggering amount of money in the world, but there's only one of you."

Now it was Ness' father's turn to be surprised.

"I… meant that much to you?" he asked, not quite believing Ness' words.

"Of course you did," Ness replied. "That's why it hurt me so much when you would never spend time with me as a child."

"I'm so sorry," his father said in horror. "I… never knew."

"It's okay…" Ness replied. "After all of this is done, maybe… wait! I'm still in an active battle! What the hell am I doing?"

Ness jumped to his feet, feeling rejuvenated. His father hid a smile.

"I'm glad to see that you're back to your normal, vibrant self," his father said. "Remember, Ness, you have my support, as well as Tracy's and your mother's. Never forget that."

"Don't worry, I won't," Ness responded with enough determination to move a mountain.

* * *

The darkness had won.

Claus couldn't feel. He tried to latch onto specks of emotion, but he just… couldn't feel anything.

_This is horrifying… and it's how Kumatora felt! _

Claus wanted _so badly _to feel sadness at his father's death. He wished that he could feel poisonous rage flowing through his veins, if only so that he would know that he was still alive.

Instead, he only found emptiness.

Claus stepped up to the masked man and attacked, although he didn't know why he bothered. The masked man responded by driving his sword through Claus, ignoring the stick that slammed into his face. Claus couldn't feel the pain.

He couldn't feel anything.

Claus pulled out some beef jerky and ate it, but the action seemed so _mechanical. _The masked man looked slightly shaken and didn't press the attack for some reason.

"PK Freeze Beta," Claus said emotionlessly.

The masked man took the damage, still not responding.

"Claus, that's not the way to fight!"

That voice…

Poo's ghost materialized in front of Claus.

"Poo," Claus said wearily. "Why am I here? Why do I fight? I don't care about _anything _anymore!"

"Hey, you showed me that it's important to try to care," Poo said, bobbing up and down vivaciously. "Do you remember how Lucas got to be this way? Kumatora was acting empty like you and brainwashed him, not caring enough to resist."

"Urgh…" Claus struggled, trying to conjure a spark of emotion. "Our problems were caused by someone as empty as I…"

Claus looked into Lucas' eye, the one that wasn't covered up by the mask.

"Lucas!" he shouted. "Kumatora did this to you! And… it could have easily been me in my current situation."

That terrified him to the core. He looked inside and found that he could still care about Lucas. Claus felt a wave of relief wash over him.

_Lucas is still my brother! And damn me a thousand times over if I act like exactly like the person who condemned him to his fate!_

Claus sighed and felt the familiar emotions flood through his system, threatening to overwhelm him. He felt despair for his father, despair for Lucas, despair for his mother, and despair for so many others. But under that dark lining of his heart, he found joy.

Joy that there was still hope for a better world.

"Hmm… that took less persuasion than I thought," Poo said. "You truly are an extraordinary human being, Claus."

Claus' heart swelled with pride. That was the first time that he had ever heard Poo give a compliment.

"While I was bleeding to death, I hung onto your words," Poo said softly. "They… inspired me. Being able to change and improve… what a wonderful creed. I improved even as I took my last breaths, I feel. Before speaking with you, I would have been so aghast at being defeated that I wouldn't have bothered to leave you the message about the last needle."

Claus smiled like a parent proud of their child.

"I'll save this world, Poo! I'll save it so that people like you can take all of the time that you want to improve themselves!"

Poo smiled back. It looked out of place on his normally serious face.

"I don't doubt it, Claus. Oh… I have to go now. Goodbye… and thank you."

Claus waved as Poo faded away. He turned to see that all of his allies were on their feet and ready to fight.

"Aw, that's cute," Porky wheezed from the darkness. "Do you honestly think that you still have a chance? You were lucky that my little monster didn't slaughter you all. I had to deal with an… intruder."

Claus took a confident step forward on the black stone, raising his stick to the sky.

"We will fight so that the next generation won't have to suffer like we did!" Claus roared. "You cannot stop us, Porky!"

"Heh," Porky wheezed. "Just try to fight!"

"Offense Up Omega," Ness whispered feverishly. "Defense Up Omega."

"Here's the plan," Claus announced, even though he had no clue what he was doing. "Ness and I should go in. We should make sure to keep most of the pressure on me so that Ness can heal. Ana and Jeff, you should blast from the back line."

Everyone else nodded. There wasn't any time to debate.

Claus let out a primal snarl and charged at the masked man.

* * *

Voice was feverishly pouring over his pocket book while Magicant slowly crumbled around them.

"Why are you looking at your diary?" Lucas asked, trying to distract himself from the ever lessening land that they stood on. At this point, Magicant was small enough to fit in a bedroom.

"I'm trying to find wisdom in these notes," Voice replied hesitantly. "But I don't think there's much to be had in these confused words of mine."

Hinawa's ghost fell from the sky and landed next to Lucas.

"Mother!" Lucas shouted in a mixture of joy and worry. "What are you doing here?"

"I was trying to hijack your body," Hinawa replied grimly.

"Dangerous," Voice said, still looking at his notebook. "Your spirit could have…"

"Voice, you should know how much I care about my children," Hinawa cut in. "I don't care what happens to me."

The corners of Voice's mouth turned upwards to form a light smile. It felt weird to see another person's mannerisms on a body identical to his.

"I do know that," Voice replied. "So, did you fail?"

"It was a partial success," Hinawa responded, not seeming satisfied with her efforts. "I was able to stall you long enough for your friends to recover from Flint's death."

Lucas looked up to the screen and was startled by what he saw. Claus and Ness were juggling the masked man's attention masterfully while Ana and Jeff fired off attacks from the back line. The masked man movements were as smooth as a river, but Ness and Claus were somehow able to keep him at bay.

"How…?" Voice asked, staring at the screen in wonder. "How can they stand up to us?"

"That is the power of love," Hinawa responded.

Voice snorted.

"Love. That's a pretty word. Love alone isn't driving them to fight, Hinawa. Can you see the rage scrawled in bold ink on Claus' face?"

"It all stems from love," Hinawa maintained. "You've grown bitter, Voice."

"I suppose I have…" Voice trailed off.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up in alarm.

"NO!" Voice exclaimed, clutching his head as more chunks of Magicant falling down into the abyss below. "No… it's over… and it's all my fault!"

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

"One of my PSI abilities," Voice whispered, averting his eyes from Lucas' out of shame. "I… let it slip through."

_Oh no… _

"What does it do?" Lucas asked.

The horrified look that Voice gave him was an answer in itself.

* * *

"Heh…" Porky laughed, proceeding to break into a coughing fit. "You kids are actually tough; I'll give you that."

"You had better believe it!" Claus exclaimed, darting out of the way of an attack from the masked man.

"Too bad that it doesn't matter," Porky wheezed.

The darkness felt heavier to Claus after those words. The red and blue patterns in the background flew into chaos, oscillating like static waves.

"W-What?" Ana asked.

"PK Aether Flash," the masked man whispered.

"Too late!" Porky shouted in glee.

A radiant white light engulfed Claus and his friends. Claus' mind was instantly reduced to pudding. It was a struggle to remember how to breathe. Claus fell to his knees, trying desperately to perform basic cognitive functions. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the darkness coming for him. All of the pent up energy in him had nothing to do… and consequently started to fizzle out.

_No! _Claus shouted to himself. _I have to resist. I have to stay strong!_

"You can't resist!" Porky exclaimed. "Look at your friends, worm!"

It was true; Ness, Ana, and Jeff were crumpled on the floor with their eyes closed. _Please don't let them be dead… _Claus thought. He was reassured by how much he cared.

The darkness came closer still.

_I will live! _Claus told himself.

The darkness came closer still.

"I have to live for those who didn't have this chance," Claus said out loud. "I have to live for Poo, for Dr. Andonuts, for Kumatora, and even for all of those pigmasks on the receiving end of Jeff's bazooka."

The darkness came closer still.

"You will die eventually," Porky wheezed. "Even if you can resist now, my monster will just kill you without a second thought!"

The darkness came closer still.

_Giygas, _Claus thought. _Porky's suffering too. Giygas is the one to hate! I have to beat the living crap out of this Giygas! Damn me if I don't!_

The darkness came closer still.

"I AM NOT GOING TO DIE TODAY!" Claus roared. That was a _fact._

The darkness came closer still.

Claus _screamed _while he struggled to his feet. It was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.

The darkness went away.

"What?" Porky asked. "Did you actually resist the attack? That… isn't supposed to happen!"

_Just like how I'm not supposed to be able to aim PK Thunder. Right, Kumatora? _

Claus walked up to Lucas.

"Now!" Porky shouted. "Kill him, Lucas!"

With a certain reluctance, the masked man stabbed Claus.

_Yup, that's mortal damage, _Claus thought as his psionic stall went into effect. He had about a minute to live, tops.

"Lucas…" Claus begged. "Please, if you're in there somewhere, look at what you're doing. I know that you would never kill me… I _know _that. You have to come back to me, Lucas. Please…"

Lucas' eye showed nothing but apathy.

"Lucas, please…"

* * *

"This is it," Voice muttered with an air of finality. "I have always been too weak. I was too weak to save my mother. I was too weak to save my father. I was too weak to save my brother. And now I am too weak to save this world!"

Magicant had now been reduced to the area of a small bed. Soon enough, there would be nothing left.

"Pull yourself together, Voice!" Hinawa shouted. "Claus is counting on us to break out!"

"How _can_ we break out?" Lucas asked. "I mean… if we could, shouldn't we have done that before?"

"Lucas, look at Claus face," Hinawa said in a heartbroken voice.

Lucas obliged and saw that Claus was _crying. _That wasn't right. Claus was always the strong one. And his eyes… they accused Lucas of vile betrayal, while still showing faith in him… It was beautiful and heartbreaking. Lucas looked away out of shame.

"Can you just let your brother die?" Hinawa asked.

"Of course not!" Lucas responded instantly. "But… how can I break out?"

"Just focus on love," Hinawa advised.

"That's fine and dandy for Lucas," Voice piped in, panting heavily, "But all of the people that I love are DEAD! We need to be in this together for it to work, and I don't have anything to care about."

"I think that my mother is wrong in assuming that love alone can save us," Lucas whispered, putting a hand on Voice's shoulder. "Yes, love is the most powerful emotion. But it is only one of many. We need to harness every emotion that we've ever felt. We need to hang onto everything that makes us _us. _If we are the same person, we should have similar pages in our book of life to reference. I love swimming and feeling a light breeze. Do you?"

"Yes…" Voice replied slowly, standing to his feet. "Yes… but that is not enough!"

"Right," Lucas affirmed. "So think about _everything _that you hold close to you. For example, we are about to kill someone without feeling anything at all. Doesn't that horrify you?"

Voice nodded.

"Hang onto that," Lucas said. "Hang onto that horror. Just _feel _everything that you've felt before. Let the emotions become _you. _That is how we will resist this mechanical brainwash! Logically, we will never escape, but emotions can defy logic in startling ways. Just look at how Claus resisted your PK Shiny Flash or whatever it was."

"That… shouldn't have been possible," Voice explained. "PK Aether Flash shuts off the cognitive functions of the brain in an instant. There's no way to resist it; not even those charms that bestow status immunity."

"And yet it happened," Lucas replied. "Claus' emotions were strong enough to overcome cold, hard logic. Are we going to let Claus go down in brilliance while we don't even try to defy reality?"

Voice smiled grimly.

"You… are wiser than anyone else I've ever met, I think. Very well, I will find what makes me myself and use that to break this iron lock on our mind!"

"Lucas, I think you have the right way to deal with this one," Hinawa's ghost said with a motherly smile. "I couldn't be more proud of you."

Lucas broke into a grin, his heart swelling from the compliment. He closed his eyes and focused on his memories.

Though his eyes were closed, his entire life appeared before him, each portion packed tightly into a book and each book stored on a shelf in a library. Lucas gingerly picked out a book and started reading.

_Lucas felt a chill rush through his spine as he jumped into the water. The pond was cold, but there was a certain sweetness to the chill. It felt like… Lucas was accomplishing something by being able to take the cold. He knew that the icy feeling would go away, so it didn't bother him. Lucas smiled as the pond water covered him like a blanket. He gingerly opened his eyes and felt uncomfortable as water coated his unprotected eyeballs. Lucas squinted as he saw the distorted sun's rays shine through the water, causing red spots to linger in his vision. The water flowed gently around Lucas, carrying him like a baby. He almost felt like he was being rocked to sleep. Lucas felt himself float up to the surface. Buoyancy was a wonderful thing. Why hasten the process? Lucas flipped himself over, now looking downward to the murky pond floor instead of up at the sun. Lucas watched in wonder as the underwater plants swayed gently…_

Lucas returned to reality, blinking. That was so much to deal with, and all in a span of less than a minute! Lucas picked another random book out and started reading.

_Lucas was running as the harsh sun above drained his strength._

_"Keep up, Lucas!" Claus shouted with a huge grin plastered on his face. "I'm telling you, this is awesome! You have to see this!"_

_"Trying," Lucas panted as he struggled to keep Claus' pace._

_Honestly, why did Claus bother to run everywhere? Lucas thought that running was great and all, but couldn't his brother see that they would get to their destination regardless of how quickly Lucas moved?_

_"Come on come on come on!" Claus exclaimed._

_"You don't have to shout," Lucas wheezed weakly._

_Lucas felt sweat drip from his face. He had always hated sweat. It made him feel… dirty._

_"Here we are!" Claus shouted triumphantly._

_Lucas looked up and saw a massive tree. _

_"Claus, trees are-"_

_"It's not the tree, Lucas, it's what's in it!" Claus interrupted and started scaling the tree._

_Lucas sighed and followed Claus, knowing by this point that nothing in the world could stop his twin when he was this determined. Lucas' hands felt uncomfortable as they scraped against the rough wood, but he gritted his teeth and continued upward. Eventually, Lucas reached a thick branch and halted. Claus stood right next to him with his characteristically eager smile._

_"Look, Lucas!"_

_Lucas followed Claus' finger and saw a bird's nest made out of hundreds of imperfect twigs and bits of straw. Inside of that nest lay four perfectly blue eggs. They were not the unnatural, harsh blue of paint that Lucas was so familiar with, but at the same time they were darker and fuller than the dainty blue of the sky. Lucas stood there for a few seconds, taking in the beauty of something that was so spectacular yet natural._

_"It's awesome, isn't it?" Claus asked eagerly._

_"Yeah," Lucas replied. "It's beautiful."_

Lucas returned to reality once more, holding both of the books in his hands. There were so _many _pages in each of the books, and so many books on each shelf. How could Lucas possibly go through everything that made him _him?_

Suddenly, the two books that Lucas held flew towards him, hitting him in the chest and disappearing in a shower of sparks. All of the memories that Lucas held in those two flashed through his head in an instant. He was surprised how much emotion there had been, even in his mundane experiences.

_That's the secret, _Lucas told himself. _If I feel all of the emotion that I've experienced, there's no way that Porky will have enough strength to control me!_

To feel every single emotion that he had ever felt… it was basically impossible.

Unless he had a whole library of self-knowledge in front of him.

Lucas closed his eyes, _willing _himself to become one with the books of his life. He heard the flapping of pages as tomes flew from shelves and collided with Lucas. At every collision, Lucas lived through a portion of his life in a flash, feeling all of the emotion that he had experienced. One moment per book… but there must have been thousands of them. After hours of delving through his deepest memories, Lucas opened his eyes.

He was floating next to Voice in the darkness, any remnants of Magicant long gone. Magicant had fallen into the void… but he hadn't!

_I did it! _Lucas thought. _I was able to feel… everything! I was able to break even the harshest brainwashing that New Pork had to offer. _

Looking at Voice's face, Lucas could see a similar expression of joy and wonder. He flew over to give Voice a high-five, both of them grinning stupidly.

"We did it!" Lucas exclaimed. "Now, let's go and save this world!"

"Oh yes," Voice replied with a wicked grin. "It's time to use some of my knowledge for good instead of evil!"

Simultaneously, both of them flew upwards until the void below was nothing but a dark spot in the world of Lucas' and Voice's mind.

* * *

The darkness came back to Claus.

"I believe in you, Lucas," Claus whispered.

"Lifeup Gamma!" The masked man shouted in a burst of emotion, healing Claus back to full health.

Lucas tore off his helmet and threw it into the abyss, jetpack and all. The darkness disappeared and Lucas let a sincere smile show. Claus couldn't describe just how happy he was in that moment.

"Healing Omega!" Lucas shouted in ecstasy. "Dismiss PK Wall!"

Ness, Ana, and Jeff opened their eyes, startled to see Lucas with a huge grin on his face. The purple wall blocking the way to the needle faded out of existence.

_Everything's all right, _Claus thought. _Finally… we finally won! _

"Impossible!" Porky shouted. "There's no way that after all of this time you could break free now… That brainwashing was absolute! We didn't leave you with _anything _to hold onto. How…?"

"Claus," Lucas said, ignoring Porky. "Pull the last needle if you dare. I'm going to deal with Porky. He deserves an end to his suffering."

"Wha…" Claus couldn't finish the word.

Lucas was so _confident. _Was that really Lucas?

"Heh," Porky laughed. "You can't even get to me! You threw away your jetpack!"

"PK Fly," Lucas said with a superior smile.

"How can-" Porky was interrupted as Lucas flew straight into his machine, grabbing onto one of the legs.

"PK Enlarge!"

Lucas' body grew to the size of Porky's crab robot as he flew up into the dark sky, dangling Porky's capsule by a leg.

"You still cannot harm me!" Porky shouted as he swayed back and forth. "Nothing in this world can harm me!"

"That's right," Lucas confirmed.

Porky chuckled triumphantly.

"So you see-"

"That's why I'm not going to kill you in this world!" Lucas interrupted.

"How-"

"PK Planewalk!" Lucas shouted with an authority that drowned out everything else in the world.

A portal opened in the sky right below Porky's robot.

"This will be a mercy, my friend!" Lucas yelled as he dragged Porky through the portal and into the abyss below.


	30. Chapter 30: Beginnings and Endings

**School's out! ...For me, at least. I have to take the ACT tomorrow, though... fun stuff. *yawns***

**Chapter 30 is (finally) here! I'm glad that I was able to finish this story, but it's sad to see it go... :( Like I said before, I'm planning on doing some extra stuff for this story (flashbacks, glimpses of future). Additionally, I plan on working on New Frontier soon. Hopefully you'll like all of the stuff that I have planned! :)**

**Oh, and this one is the longest. But that's to be expected, right?**

**Also, religion talk alert (do I even need to say that at this point...?). For the record, I do not endorse the religious beliefs of any of my characters; I simply wish for a variety of characters with a variety of beliefs. Hopefully, you'll find yourself connecting with the beliefs of at least one of the characters, if you haven't already. Oh yeah, there's creationism vs. evolution stuff, so... yeah. I blame Ana for bringing it up. xD**

**And I'd just like to say thanks for supporting me all of the way! I would most likely have lost motivation for this story long ago if nobody possessed interest in it! You guys are the best! :)**

***Minor updates 6/13; made some stuff more clear.**

**Review Responses:**

**SuperMarioFan5000:**** It's wonderful to see that you still follow this story! :) Yeah... poor Flint. :( And Voice has so much PSI that I won't even bother trying to quantify it. xD Also, I looked at your profile (I'm not a stalker, I swear!) and it seems that your first language is Spanish (at least, unless I'm even more ignorant than I thought...). I just wanted to say that your English is excellent! I admire people with fluency in multiple languages because I only speak one. :)**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Dunno exactly what that "wat" implies, so it's kinda hard for me to respond. ;)**

**A Fan:**** Sadly, this story is not a prelude to New Frontier. :( If Lucas in New Frontier had all of the powers that he and Voice do in this story, he would be able to cheese his way through most conflicts. Also, in New Frontier, Flint is alive (Voice implied that the Flint in his world is dead).**

**Aether is a concept used in various fantasy texts/games. It usually shows a mixture of light and darkness or something similar. Ike's Aether (as well as Chrom's and Lucina's) is a technique in which he attacks with Sol (which heals him) and Luna (which pierces armor) in rapid succession. In this story, Aether Flash is like PK Flash Omega, except nothing can stop it (sorry, shoulda made that more clear D:). I added on Aether to make it seem all-encompassing, abstract, and ethereal.**

**Haha I ****_wish _****that I could make money off of this... although it wouldn't feel right to charge you guys even if I could because my writing isn't professional and you guys are so helpful! :) I feel that my writing has gotten quite a bit better after this. Even looking at my essay grades in AP Lit I can see a difference! **

**JustMe. Hi:**** I'm glad that you liked it! :) I hope that you'll be pleased with how the story ends!**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan:**** Thanks! :) Yeah, the red and blue lines were a throwback to masked man in Mother 3. That battle was so immersive... If only I could write like that. **

**Like I said above, this story is sadly not a prelude to New Frontier. :(**

**And I'm sad as well that this story is done. D: But... I am planning on doing extras! There are still some characters and relationships between characters (not necessarily romantic ones) that I would like to talk about.**

* * *

_These words will be the last that I will ever write in this deluded journal of mine._

_Am I Voice? That is what I go by, but is that really me?_

_No…_

_I am Lucas!_

* * *

The portal closed. Claus blinked his eyes, somehow expecting to wake up from a dream.

He didn't.

"What the hell was _that_?" Ana asked.

"To me, it looked like that PSI allowed Lucas to travel to different worlds," Jeff observed.

That was ridiculous. _Lucas _of all people couldn't do that, right?

"So powerful…" Ness whispered, his eyes as wide as an owl's. "He truly was toying with us all along."

"Will he come back?" Claus asked softly. "Or will he die with Porky?"

Ness looked at Claus, his face betraying a sad smile.

"I wish that I could tell you, but I do not have the answer that you seek. Only time will tell. In the meantime, we have another issue to deal with."

Ness gestured towards the now open path to the last needle.

"Should I… pull it?" Claus asked, not quite sure why he was hesitating.

"If you want to," Ana replied. "Do you think that your heart is pure or whatever crap the dragon uses to judge morality?"

"I believe that it is actually more of a transmission of your heart," Jeff explained. "When you pull the majority of the needles, you pass your heart onto the dragon. For a few moments, you _become _the dragon."

"I'm not so sure if I should be the one to pull the needle," Claus said, turning away. "I… like to destroy things more than I should. Lucas should be the one to pull it."

Ana snorted.

"Lucas was just brainwashed! Don't you think that's a bigger problem than your slightly vengeful nature?"

"As much as her tone could be softened," Ness added, "Ana is right. After being brainwashed, who knows what's going on in Lucas' mind and heart? You are the more reliable choice, Claus. The decision is yours."

"I… guess," Claus replied reluctantly. "If I fail, though… the destruction of the world would be my fault, not Porky's. That scares me more than it probably should."

"Well, if you are fine with life as it is, you don't have to pull the needle," Jeff pointed out. "You could accept our highly problematic world instead of risking it for a better one."

That… was tempting. On the one hand, New Pork was a monster of a city. Every day, people fell into the depths of despair and poverty. But… wouldn't that be better than fading away completely? If the world ended… nobody would have a second chance to find happiness. Claus remembered the helpless anger that he felt when he realized that Poo and Dr. Andonuts wouldn't have the time they needed to improve themselves. Could Claus really risk the future of so many others?

"I'm… not sure how to decide," Claus said, biting his lip. "How can I just _choose _the fate of the world?"

"I thought that you were supposed to be the decisive one," Ana said with a devious smile.

"It's hard to be decisive when the world is at stake!" Claus exclaimed.

"I know," Ana said with a sigh. "I was just teasing. The decision… must weigh on your mind like a boulder. I guess all that I can say is that I trust you no matter what you decide."

Ness and Jeff nodded to indicate that they were on Claus' side as well.

"I just need a few minutes to think," Claus announced, sitting down on the cold, stone floor and running his hands through his hair.

"Sure," Ness replied with a relaxed shrug. "We have all of the time in the world."

Suddenly, Paula and Lloid came running in. They halted when they saw no sign of an adversary.

"We came to help, but it doesn't appear that you need any," Paula speculated. Her emotionless voice still caught Claus off guard, even though he had heard it before.

"Where's Kumatora?" Claus asked.

"She's still fighting Fassad," Lloid explained. "She said that she was winning and didn't need any more assistance, so she sent us over here."

"She could be in danger!" Claus exclaimed.

"Right," Paula replied evenly. "We should probably head back over there."

_Show some emotion, will you? _Claus wanted to shout. _Someone's life is on the line! ...Or, their undeath is, at least. _

"We'll go with you," Ana stated in a tone that didn't allow "no" as a response.

"You will?" Claus asked.

"Of course we will," Jeff replied. "We know how much Kumatora means to you, Claus. Besides, I promised myself that I wouldn't leave anyone else to die if I could help it."

Ana nodded.

"We know that you would help us with our troubles, Claus. I know how painful can be to lose someone that you love."

She pointed to Flint's corpse.

_Oh right, _Claus thought, sorrow overtaking him. _Father is dead too. _So many things to think about… so many people to remember. Claus didn't know how he was supposed to handle it all.

"I think that I'll stay with Claus and make sure that nothing kills him," Ness said. "It probably isn't necessary, but we need all of the security that we can get for our needle puller."

"I don't need to be protected!" Claus exclaimed.

"There's a 99.9% chance that you don't," Ness conceded, "But what about the .1% chance that you do? The world literally rests on your shoulders, Claus."

"Well, it doesn't _literally _rest on his shoulders…" Jeff pointed out.

Ness rolled his eyes.

"You get the point."

Claus grumbled but couldn't deny Ness' logic.

Ana and Jeff left with Paula and Lloid, leaving Claus and Ness to contemplate the choice that they had to make.

"I think that you should pull the needle," Ness said suddenly.

"Huh?" Claus asked. "Why?"

"This world… is so imperfect," Ness responded ambiguously. "It is a cracked glass ornament that needs to be replaced. The thing is, we live on the ornament and can't see the cracks."

Claus blinked.

"What is missing is security," Ness continued. "I realized that. Even after I found out that Onett was liberated, I still worried that the pigmasks would kill my family. The security of knowing that we are safe… is a fundamental right. The lack of security in this world… is what causes these cracks."

"I'm not sure I follow your philosophy," Claus replied. "I'm the dumb jock, remember?"

Ness smiled.

"You gain nothing out of applying such degrading terms to yourself, Claus."

"And you gain nothing by talking in such an elevated way."

Ness laughed.

"Fair enough. I aplo-I'm sorry. I often get like this when I think about philosophical questions. I'll try to talk like a normal person. Think about it this way. If you had children, wouldn't you be scared that they'd end up brainwashed like Lucas?"

Claus cocked his head. He had never thought about that before.

"Yes…" Claus replied. "Yes, I suppose that I would."

"Doesn't that make you feel that this world is… wrong? Doesn't it make you feel like there should be a better option?"

"Yes," Claus responded sadly.

"And now there is. That's why… I think that you should pull the needle. A world without that insecurity would be _wonderful._"

Claus nodded, but he still wasn't convinced. There was just _so much _on the line!

"Hello, Claus," Hinawa's ghost said, appearing in front of him and Ness. "Lucas made quite an exit, didn't he?"

"Mother!" Claus exclaimed in surprise. "I… guess he did."

Hinawa smiled at Claus. It looked so natural on her.

"This is obviously up to you, but I agree with Ness that you should pull the needle."

"Why?" Claus asked curiously.

"Think about what happened to Lucas," Hinawa started. "Just _think _about the pain that he must have felt."

Claus nodded and pictured himself in Lucas' place, watching himself slaughter Poo and Dr. Andonuts, watching himself try to kill his twin brother and _not being able to do a damn thing._ That had to be tougher than what Claus had gone through.

"That could happen to other people," Hinawa said. She didn't have to put emotion into her voice in order for Claus to feel a pang of terror. "The technology required to brainwash somebody still exists."

_That… could happen to other people? It could have happened to me! Lucas… Kumatora… Ninten… there could be more hollow husks in the making if I don't end this right now! _

Claus would _not _allow that.

"I see that you understand what I mean," Hinawa said, observing Claus' face intently.

"I'll pull the needle," Claus announced. "If the world ends… so be it! Nobody else should have to suffer like Lucas or Kumtatora."

"I have complete faith in you, Claus," Hinawa said warmly.

"As do I," Ness added.

"Thanks, guys," Claus said. "That really means a lot to me."

Claus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he walked up and pulled the needle out of the earth. As colors started to glow around him, Claus felt himself losing consciousness. In the back of his mind, he heard Ness utter a cry of alarm.

* * *

Lucas screamed as he carried Porky's crab robot through nothingness. All around him, he could see snippets of other worlds patched together sloppily. Each scene only stayed for a second before giving way to a new one. The constant shifting of worlds made the view in front of Lucas similar to that of a kaleidoscope.

"Where in the world are we?" Lucas screamed.

"We are travelling between universes," Voice replied like it _wasn't _supposed to be surprising.

"You talk to yourself," Porky wheezed.

_Oh yeah, _Lucas realized. _We're sharing the same body. This is awkward. _

"Heh," Voice replied to Porky. "I am. It's funny how little that matters to me right now."

"Yes," Porky wheezed, "It is funny indeed… I don't mind. Keep talking to yourself while we take this trip to wherever we are going."

"Anyways, Lucas," Voice continued. "These universes are connected, in a way. The difference in what they contain is based off of the past. After a major event, one or more additional offshoot universes are created to accommodate for the different outcomes. I'm not sure if time is actually the determining factor, though… I suppose that it is possible that universes could split along the fifth dimension, if one exists. However, that is not important. The main point is that we can travel to any universe that we want."

"So does a universe exist where Claus and his friends lost to us?" Lucas asked.

"No," Voice replied. "If that happened, then Porky would have access to this dimensional travel ability and would have used it to take over _all _of the universes."

"Oh, so when you said that more than the world was at stake…"

"Yes, this is what I meant," Voice finished. "It almost happened, too."

"Wait," Porky wheezed. "There really are two of you, aren't there? One of you is the Lucas from my world, and the other is an intruder an alternate universe!"

"Yes," Voice confirmed. "I am Lucas, same as my friend that is currently sharing my body after his was brainwashed. I travelled here with my PSI and proceeded to get my mind hijacked by Lucas' rogue spirit."

"How did you find such powerful PSI?" Porky asked in wonder.

Voice laughed mirthfully.

"I was searching for a way to bring my family back to life. It's funny how I learned PSI beyond my wildest dreams, but I still couldn't give life to those that I loved the most. I could level a city, if I wanted to. I could travel to other planets… or even create them. But I still couldn't do what I wanted."

"Your family is dead?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, you saw my mother die, remember?" Voice replied. "My brother got himself brainwashed and ended up dying in my arms. My father died in a stupid accident right after I saved the world."

"Heh," Porky wheezed, "We have all suffered so much. There's one thing that I don't understand, though. I can get this multiple universes thing, but what determines when the events are major enough to create separate universes? Your alternate universe model would make more sense on the quantum level."

"Quantum?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Porky replied. "You know, movement of subatomic particles and stuff?"

"I am not sure myself why it does not work that way," Voice cut in, "But I've travelled around. I'm sure that it doesn't. Maybe there's someone out there determining when a universe splits…"

"Er…" Lucas piped in, "Voice, do you know where we are going?"

"Yes," Voice replied. "We are going to a world that has been ravaged by PSI. It's filled to the brim with psionic lava that can dissolve the invincible gel that has posed so many problems for us."

"How do you know that?" Porky asked, sounding strangely hopeful.

"PSI Magnet Plus," Voice replied. "It gives me perks like that. I can just _feel _that the lava will kill you."

"I…" Porky sounded unusually thankful. "Thank you. I can finally die without letting Giygas out. Thank you…"

"Wow," Lucas said. "You must have really been through a lot of pain, huh?"

"Yeah…" Porky wheezed. "I'm not proud of what I've done, but I tried my hardest to keep the world alive."

"That is nobility if I've ever heard it before," Voice said sadly. "Don't worry, Porky, we'll leave Giygas to rule a world of liquid rock."

Porky smiled from inside of his machine. It was the first time that Lucas had seen any emotion on his face.

"It finally ends," Porky wheezed. "After all of this time, it ends so sweetly…"

"Approaching destination!" Voice shouted.

In a blink, Lucas faced a portal that lead to a lava-filled world. Nothing else lay in sight.

"Think of all of the people that must have died here," Lucas whispered.

"Well, I think that we're going to add a few more," Voice replied in determination.

"Wait… a few more? Are we going to die?"

"Probably," Voice responded. "I'm admittedly _terrible _at this. I think that we're going to fly straight into the lava…"

Right as he said that, Lucas and Porky's robot dropped into the world of lava. They landed on the surface of the viscous red liquid, slowly sinking like they were in quicksand. Porky's robot started to dissolve immediately.

"Thank you…" Porky whispered one last time.

Lucas felt the lava start to melt his body. Luckily, Voice put up a wonderful psionic stall. Still, the pain _hurt _more than anything else.

But it was just pain.

"Damn!" Voice muttered. "I was hoping to be able to stop, but travel between universes does weird things with momentum. Maybe I should have studied more physics…"

With a groan, Lucas flew out of the lava and back through the portal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Porky's spirit following him.

"I'm on fire," Lucas realized out loud. "I'm burning alive!"

It was true. Lucas' entire body was covered in flames, making him look like a human torch.

"Lifeup-"

"Don't bother," Voice interrupted. "The wounds from the lava can't be healed. I wasn't expecting the fire, but I guess psionics don't usually make sense. Let's go back to your world, Lucas. We need to deliver Porky's spirit and you probably want to say goodbye to Claus. I'm sorry that it had to come to this. I wanted to choose a safer way to kill Porky, but doing that would require a more extensive search. I don't want to keep Porky alive longer than I have to when other universes could be at risk."

"We're going to die," Lucas realized bleakly. "We're going to die and we can't do anything to stop it!"

"Yes," Voice replied sadly. "But think about everything that we did."

Lucas blinked. _Everything that we did… _Lucas and Voice had just saved the world! That was something to feel proud of.

"I still feel sad," Lucas said, "But I do feel a bit better after thinking about all the good that we did. I think… that I'm okay with dying now that I realize how much life we gave to others. Because thatis what truly matters."

* * *

"Claus!" Ness shouted, running up to the limp body in front of the last needle's scar in the blackened earth.

"He's alive," Hinawa reassured. "He just passed his heart onto the dragon. You'll have to carry him for a while.

_No problem, _Ness thought as he scooped Claus up in his arms.

"Follow me," Hinawa commanded. "I know of a secret way out. Trust me, we do _not _want to remain stuck here for any longer than we need to be.

Ness nodded and took off running, making sure to carry Claus as gently as possible. Hinawa lead him back to his friends, who stood over Fassad's corpse.

"Hopefully he'll stay dead this time," Ana said with a weary sigh. "Oh, Ness!"

The rest of the teenagers turned to look at Ness and flinched in shock at the sight of Hinawa's ghost.

"Follow me," Hinawa instructed.

"We can trust her," Ness said. "She's Lucas' and Claus' mother, after all."

"What happened to Claus?" Kumatora asked.

_Is that worry of all emotions that I detect? _Ness wondered.

"He passed his heart onto the dragon," Ness explained. "He'll be out for a while."

"May I… carry him?" Kumatora asked.

"Why?" Ness demanded.

"I can fly and have various devices to protect him."

_I don't trust you any more than I have to, _Ness thought. Could he really put Claus' life in the hands of an undead cyborg? But… Kumatora did appear to be sincere, and her arguments made sense.

"All right," Ness said reluctantly, handing Claus' limp body over to Kumatora. "Be careful, though."

"I will," she replied, and Ness could tell from her determined voice that she was dead serious.

"Hurry!" Hinawa exclaimed. "Hopefully, the dragon will protect us, but we should evacuate in case it doesn't!"

Ness gulped. He really did not want to die after all that he'd been through. He and his friends simultaneously took off and followed Hinawa's ghost.

Hinawa lead them through a series of cliffs and plateaus that Ness didn't remember. Ness focused on one thing only: putting one foot in front of the other. When he saw light leading to the outside world, he let out a sigh of relief. With a burst of speed, Ness ran out of the dreary underground and into the daylight.

Outside, the world was burning.

Ness gasped as he found himself on a cliff overlooking the destruction of the world below. Meteorites rained from the red skies and hurricanes churned the ocean waters. Everything around Ness was on fire except for the lush, green grass beneath his feet.

"Claus," Ness whispered. "Can you resist your destructive side? The dragon is probably harder to control than your own body…"

Jeff, Paula, Lloid, and Ana came running out of the cave behind Ness. Kumatora came barreling out, flying up into the red sky.

"I will try to protect Claus as best as I can!" Kumatora yelled as she flew away into the distance.

_I kind of hoped that you would stay with us, but okay… _Ness thought.

"That is the last that I can do for you," Hinawa's ghost said. "I… hope with all of my heart that you will survive this and awake in a brave new world."

Hinawa vanished, leaving the teenagers to look at the desolation below. For minutes, nobody spoke.

"Even if we all die here," Lloid spoke up. "I'm glad that we lived this long. I was able to find myself again after being brainwashed. I think that suffering a similar fate at the hands of my parents allowed me to recognize the situation more easily."

"Yes, you seem to have made a full recovery," Paula said, her voice still lacking its usual vibrance. "I wish that I could return to my old self so easily."

"You had better recover," Ana piped in. "I still need to convince you that evolution is real, and it totally doesn't count if you're like this!"

"Ana," Ness said with a sigh. "Do you have to talk about that theory of yours? I think we heard enough about it when we first met."

"It's more than just a theory!" Ana exclaimed, and then frowned. "Okay, maybe it isn't, but it's a damn good theory!"

"I still believe that god played a role in creating us," Ness maintained. "We have a certain… psychological depth that seems like it could only be the result of divinity."

Ana scoffed.

"Ah, yes, you small town people with your religious beliefs that make _no _sense when real evidence is presented," she said in an exasperated tone. "Evolution explains so much, Ness! Ever wonder why old people get back problems?"

"No."

"It's because at that point, they don't affect the gene pool if they die," Ana continued, not caring about Ness' answer. "At that point, they can fade away and the species as a whole won't suffer."

"What a heartless way to live," Ness pointed out darkly.

"Hey, I didn't say that _we _should live that way!" Ana argued. "That's just how nature works. Being human is overcoming that natural selection and accommodating everyone into society, regardless of disadvantageous phenotypes."

_Geez, how can I argue when I don't know what she's even saying? _Ness thought. _Seriously, what is a "phenotype?"_

"Jeff, help me here," Ness fumbled.

"Sorry Ness, but evolution just makes more sense than creationism," Jeff replied sheepishly.

Ness glared at Jeff, although he smiled on the inside. It was nice to be talking with his friends again, just like old times. Besides, everyone knew that while the world burned around them, there was nothing that they could do. This trivial argument (although Ana might not think so) provided Ness and his allies with a distraction.

"See!" Ana exclaimed. "Someone other than me makes sense here!"

"I still think that it can work with religion," Jeff admitted. "Maybe god is controlling evolution through nature? It's possible that we humans are the end result of billions of years of positive genetic mutations rather than another random species."

"I guess…" Ness said reluctantly over Ana's snort.

"Also," Jeff continued, turning to Ana. "I saw this new evolutionary model called punctuated equilibrium. It states that the separation of species occurs rather quickly, say, maybe 50,000 years. After that point, little to no evolution takes place until the environment changes in a significant way."

"Oh, wow!" Ana exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "That's really interesting!"

"That sounds _really _boring," Ness added, provoking a huff from Ana.

"How can you guys argue about that while our world burns?" Paula asked in wonder. "The nature of human interaction escapes me."

"I don't think that anyone truly understands human interaction," Ness said with a grin. "You just have to experience it."

"But how?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.

Ness walked up to Paula and put an arm around her shoulder.

"How does this feel?" he asked. "Uncomfortable?"

"No," Paula responded in wonder. "It feels… good. It makes me feel… cared about. That's a strange feeling."

_Wow, really? Score one for Ness! _

"See?" Ness said, going along with it like he had expected the reaction. "Sometimes you just need to try things out and see how they feel. That way, you can understand how other people react when they go through those actions."

Paula smiled at Ness, causing his heart to soar. Man, it felt good to be making a difference in someone's life… and maybe it felt good that he was getting close to Paula as well.

"I think I can give that a try," she said, her voice showing wonderful shades of hope.

Ness and Paula stood there right next to each other, looking out at the horizon in happiness as the world burned around them.

* * *

"Ness!"

Ness rolled over on the grass, still mostly asleep. That voice seemed familiar…

"Are you just going to lay there? Get up!"

Ness slowly opened his eyes. The first thing that he saw was Tracy's face obscuring his entire field of vision.

"Aaaah!" Ness shouted in surprise, provoking a giggle from Tracy.

"Hey, Ness!" she exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in a year!"

Ness jumped up to his feet and embraced Tracy in a hug.

"Tracy! I honestly thought that I'd never see you again… I can't tell you how glad I am that we're both here right now."

"Quit it!" Tracy exclaimed half-heartedly. "People are staring!"

Ness looked around him, instantly locking eyes with his mother. He ran up and hugged her like he was four rather than fourteen.

"Mom…" Ness said, tears of joy coming to his eyes. "It was so_ hard_ being without you. I didn't realize just how much you meant to me until after I couldn't visit you anymore…"

"It's okay, Ness," his mother said as if she were talking to a child. "We're here and we're safe… You don't have to worry about anything…"

_But if I don't worry about problems, then I can't improve, _Ness thought and then laughed. _Damn, I can't escape this philosophy stuff, can I? _

Ness hugged his mother more tightly.

"Aw, that's sweet."

Was Ness hearing things, or was that voice _not _making fun of him? He released his mother turned around to see Ana smiling at him without so much as a hint of mockery.

"Are you… being serious?" Ness asked.

"Of course I am!" Ana replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, maybe because you make fun of me _all of the freaking time?_"

Ana giggled.

"I guess I do," she said. "But it really is wonderful that you have such a close relationship with your family, Ness. Too many people don't understand the importance of familial bonds."

She offered Ness a smile that almost melted his heart.

_Dang, _Ness thought. _Most boys that I know would fall for that smile alone. Who knew that Ana could be so charming when she wants to? _

"Who is this?" Ness' mother asked. "…Oh! I remember you. Ana, was it?"

"Yes," Ana replied. "It's nice to see you two again as well. Looks like we all made it through the world's rebirth!"

"When did you two meet?" Ness asked.

"She came to pull the needle in Onett because _you _were too lazy to do it!" Tracy teased.

"Hey," Ness said defensively, "I was pretty busy. Besides, I don't know PK Love, so I couldn't have pulled the needle even if I had been there!"

Ana tried and failed to hide a smile.

"See, Ness?" she asked. "That's _exactly _the kind of reaction that makes you so fun to tease!"

Ness rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, though," Ana started, her voice growing wistful. "I am sorry that I made fun of you so much. It didn't… hurt you, did it?"

"No," Ness replied with a grin. "It was a bit annoying, but that was it. And I accept your apology."

Ana sighed in relief.

"That's good. I think that my tendency to make fun of other people stems from my low self-esteem. It's hard to be pleased with yourself when you live in New Pork and your only reward for working your ass off is a handful of mealy food. I think that I… took that out on people around me. I didn't want to hurt anyone, so I resorted to what I saw as harmless teasing."

"Well, I don't blame you," Ness replied. "And in the end, your teasing was pretty harmless. Out of all of your choices, I think that you picked the best one."

"Thanks, Ness," Ana said with another one of her charming smiles. "That means a lot to me. Now that I have a secure life, I think that I can work on dealing with all of my issues. That's your motto, isn't it? Reflect and improve?"

"Yeah, basically," Ness replied.

"Hey, Ness," Tracy piped in. "Is Ana your new girlfriend? I bet Paula will be mad…"

"Hey!" Ness exclaimed with a blush. "Ana's not my girlfriend and Paula wasn't either!"

"And even if you were dating Paula, broke up with her, and started dating me, I don't think that she would be mad," Ana added. "She's awesome like that."

"Speaking of Paula, is that her over there?" Ness' mother asked, pointing towards some people in the distance.

"Looks like it," Ana replied while squinting. "Lloid and her parents are there too. It looks like her parents are pretty shocked at who she has become…" Ana chuckled wryly. "I suppose that they'll have to learn to accept her as she is. That must be hard for people used to having Paula as a daughter…"

"Hey, Ana, where are your parents?" Ness asked.

"Mine?" Ana asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Well, the truth is that they died a long time ago. That's why I ended up in New Pork. The pigmasks slaughtered my entire village for reasons that I still don't understand. I'm sorry if tears are coming to my eyes… pictures of my parents' corpses flash into my mind whenever I talk about it."

"Don't apologize for that!" Ness exclaimed. "Crying is natural and healthy. And… wow. How did you deal with looking at… your parents'…" Ness couldn't even finish.

"Well, I didn't, at least for seven years," Ana replied. "But really, it wasn't that bad. As painful and sad as it was… at least I was still _me. _I would rather have gone through what I did than get brainwashed like Lucas or Paula."

_Wow, that takes some guts to admit, _Ness thought. More and more, he was starting to admire Ana, even if she could be a bit obnoxious at times…

"Hey!" Jeff called from the distance. "You guys have to see this!"

Ness looked to Ana, Tracy, and his mother.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ana asked.

Ness nodded and took off in a jog towards Jeff. He arrived and quickly saw what Jeff was talking about. In the ground, a number of words were inscribed:

_Still looking for Claus and Kuma, everyone else is alive._

_-Lucas_

Ness broke out into a grin at the sight of those words. Everyone was alive! …Well, except for maybe Claus and Kuma, but Lucas probably just needed more time to find them.

_It's time for a new chapter to start, _Ness thought, _A chapter of hope and joy in this new frontier!_

(ILH)

Claus awoke to the sounds of birds chirping.

He jumped up and landed on the dirt ground. Dirt. It felt good to be walking on a comfortable ground again. Claus looked around and saw that he stood in the middle of the forest. He took a deep breath of fresh air and was tempted to lie back down and fall asleep.

_Wait! _Claus told himself. _I pulled the needle, and then… _Claus scratched his head. He didn't remember anything after that. _Hmm… I'm alive and in not in an awful world. Does that mean that I succeeded in rebirthing the world? It must. _Claus jumped for joy. After all of his struggles, he had _won. _That felt better than Claus could describe.

Suddenly, a flaming person flew out of a portal, halting and levitating off of the ground. Claus gasped when he saw the person's face.

"Lucas!" Claus shouted. "You're alive!"

"Not for long, brother," Lucas said sadly. "I only have a couple minutes at best. I just wanted to spend my last moments with you. It took a long time to find you, snoozer," he finished with a grin.

Claus took a step forward and Lucas flew back.

"Whoa there, Claus," Lucas said, holding out his hands to protect himself. "You do not want to touch this fire. If you do, no PSI will be able to save you."

"I don't care!" Claus exclaimed. "If that's the price for embracing you, Lucas, so be it!"

"Claus, Kumatora needs you."

Claus halted, flinching at Lucas' words.

"So," Claus whispered. "Someone I love dies again while I live."

"Claus, stop moping," Lucas said, sending a jolt of shock through Claus. Lucas usually knew better than to mess with Claus…

_Wait, he has godlike fighting powers, _Claus reminded himself. _Making me mad is probably the least of his worries._

"It's so hard to let go," Claus said, tears coming to his eyes. "I'm not sure that I can bear to lose you, Lucas."

"Claus, how were you able to resist my aether flash attack?" Lucas asked.

"I… don't know," Claus replied. "I guess I just didn't want to give up when there was so much on the line."

"Well, that situation applies now. There is still so much that can go wrong when a new society is formed. I need to be able to trust you to make things right."

"I will," Claus said, his mood shifting from sullen to determined in a blink of the eye. "But… I don't know how much I can do."

"Just try, brother," Lucas encouraged warmly. "You like helping people, right? Hopefully, you will enjoy rebuilding this world. You deserve that happiness, Claus."

"Got it," Claus replied. "To think that now I'm the one that needs to be encouraged…"

"Ah yes," Lucas said with a warm sigh. "How the tables have turned… Oh, before I forget…" Lucas pulled the Franklin Badge off of his shirt and held it in front of him. "This little thing is astounding. That lava was able to break through Porky's psionic ooze, but this little badge is perfectly fine… I feel that there's some sort of metaphor there. Maybe it shows that the little guys will surprise everyone when put in a trying situation… or maybe not."

"Can confirm that the little guys can do that," Claus said with a smirk. "You came out of _nowhere _and did things that most people can't even comprehend."

"Well, we both come from the nowhere islands, so couldn't you say that we both came out of nowhere?" Lucas asked with a playful grin.

Claus rolled his eyes.

"Oh yes," Lucas continued. "I want you to have this badge, Claus. I'm going to die anyway, so there's no use in holding onto it…"

"Nope," Claus maintained. "That was my present to you. No returns."

Lucas sighed.

"I was afraid that you would be this stubborn. I only have a couple minutes left, so I have to convince you quickly, huh? Like I said, it won't be doing any good on me, and wouldn't you want to have something left of me after I die?"

Claus blinked. He hadn't thought of that.

"Besides," Lucas continued. "This badge is a… symbol of sorts, a symbol of strength and determination. Like those attributes, this badge is morally neutral. The lightning reflecting property can be used to save lives… or take them. Every time you look at this badge, think about that. It gives the wearer quite a bit of combat power… and it's up to you to use that power for good in this new world."

Claus laughed.

"You're a thinker, even in death. I give in. I'll take that stupid badge of yours. It pains me to do it… but I can see no reason not to."

Lucas smiled and tossed the badge on the ground. Claus picked it up and fitted it on his shirt.

"How do I look?" Claus asked.

"Honestly, pretty dorky," Lucas responded with a grin. "Oh. I have to go now. I… am sorry that I could not stay for longer. It was nice to look upon your face again, Claus. Best of luck, whatever you do."

Lucas' face suddenly changed. It was still Lucas' face under the raging fire that licked his flesh, but it looked older and more serious.

"Hello, Claus." The voice was different! It was… heavier. "I am Lucas' alter ego. I gave him the powers that allowed him to fight so masterfully. I will release your brother's spirit and proceed to travel back to my own world. I do not think that we will ever see each other again, but I just wanted to thank you for all that you've done for this world. It is nice to see another one saved."

Claus blinked, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"Ah yes," Lucas' alter ego continued. "I suppose much of what I say doesn't make sense. Dismiss PK Soulbond!"

Claus caught a glimpse of Lucas' spirit exit his body, smiling at Claus as he floated upward.

"PK Planewalk!"

Lucas flew through the portal, which closed behind him with an air of finality.

"That was Lucas?"

Claus turned around to see Kumatora standing behind him, a neutral expression on her face.

"Yes. He said a bunch of weird stuff. He's… dead."

For some reason, Claus didn't feel as sad as he expected. He wasn't sure why.

"Well, death is still part of a cycle," Kumatora said, "And I think that Lucas had enough life for two. I wouldn't feel too bad for him."

Claus nodded.

"He seemed to be okay dying. That… makes me feel a bit better. Hey, Kumatora. What are you going to do now?"

Kumatora pursed her lips.

"I don't know," she said. "I am an unnatural construction in a natural world. Now that my mission is complete and you are safe, I was thinking about killing myself."

"Like hell you are!" Claus shouted, causing Kumatora to blink in surprise.

"Why do you care so much?" Kumatora asked.

"You deserve a good life," Claus said, walking up to Kumatora and looking into her azure eye. "You've suffered so much. Let yourself relax for once!"

"I'm not natural," Kumatora repeated, shying away. "I'm out of place in this world."

"That doesn't matter," Claus stated confidently. "There's a heart of gold inside you, Kumatora. I can see it with my x-ray vision."

"X-rays allow you to see bones, not muscles."

"Muscles?"

"The heart is a muscle, Claus," Kumatora said with a half-smile. "Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if Ana was right. _Did _you grow up under a rock?"

"Maybe," Claus replied. Perhaps he would have bristled at that comment if it had been directed at him just days earlier, but he no longer cared. "But it doesn't matter, just like _your _past doesn't matter. The only thing that matters now is our future."

"Aren't you repulsed by me?" Kumatora asked. "Do you really want me to assimilate into your society?"

As a response, Claus took a step forward and hugged Kumatora.

"I don't deserve this!" she protested, looking horrified.

"You are human," Claus whispered. "You deserve this and so much more…"

Kumatora looked at Claus in wonder, a single tear appearing in her human eye. Then she hugged Claus back, embracing him tightly and sighing in relief.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Claus…"

"Don't… squeeze so hard," Claus let out weakly.

"Oh!" Kumatora shouted in alarm, releasing Claus. "I'm sorry."

"See, that sounded human!" Claus exclaimed with a vibrant smile. "You're back!"

Kumatora laughed heartily.

"I'm not sure that I'd go that far, Claus. Besides, even if I wanted to rejoin society now, most people wouldn't accept me." She turned away. "I think… that I'm going to live on my own for a while and discover who I truly am. Even as a kid, I never really had time to do that…"

"Aw…" Claus said, his heart a bittersweet mixture of joy and sorrow. "I hate saying goodbyes."

Kumatora turned back and grinned. It looked strangely natural on her.

"This goodbye will have a happy reunion," she promised.

"How do you know?" Claus asked.

"I just got a vision of the future. And for the first time, it shows something wonderful."

* * *

Voice bursted out of a portal into the sky above _his _world, which was similar but different than Lucas' world in so many ways.

_I'm Lucas too, _he reminded himself. _Voice is the shattered prisoner of Magicant. That's not me anymore. I have become whole once more… _

Voice-no, Lucas-could _feel _himself burning. He didn't mind though. In the end, pain didn't hurt so much.

Lucas could feel the wind whip by him as he floated higher and higher, until he would eventually enter oblivion. He looked down at the village below him and his heart swelled with pride. New Tazmily was the town that _he _had created. If nothing else, he could be proud that he had given so many people a second chance.

"Brother!"

Lucas jolted, startled by the rogue word that broke the silence. Claus' ghost appeared next to him, flanked by his mother's and father's.

"See, Lucas?" Claus asked, pure joy lighting up his innocent face. "I told you that we would meet again!"

"Claus," Lucas said in a sorrowful joy. Lucas could only imagine that he was crying, but the fire that slowly consumed him vaporized all of the tears right as they materialized. "Claus! It's so good to see you again!"

"You really put me to shame, huh, Lucas?" Claus asked with a playful grin. "You saved _two _worlds. I really need to step up my game! Except… I can't, because I'm dead."

"Wait… you could see that?" Lucas asked sheepishly.

"We saw every moment," Hinawa responded with a wonderful smile. "The way that you used PSI to travel to a _different _world in need after saving us was the noblest thing I've ever seen."

"But…" Lucas stammered, the fire licking away parts of his body. "Didn't you see me almost go insane?"

"We don't blame you for any of that, son," Flint replied. "I don't think that I could have taken it, if I were in your place. You… were always stronger than I, Lucas. You just needed to grow up a bit. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Lucas beamed with pride. Of all of the people that Lucas knew, Flint gave the _least _compliments.

"Thanks," Lucas wheezed, feeling himself start to die. "It makes me feel good to hear your voices again before I die…"

_I thought that I had lost my past when my father died, and later again when I was exiled to Magicant. I was wrong._

_My past is still with me, feeding my strength! _

"I do wish that I could live, though," Lucas whispered. "I have so much power. Think of all of the good that I could do…"

"It may be for the best," Hinawa said. "The power to create is also the power to destroy. I think that the multiverse will rest safer without anyone knowing how to invade their universe from the outside."

"I guess…" Lucas replied, still thinking about the lava filled world where _everyone _had been slaughtered by misuse of PSI. Couldn't he prevent that from happening in other worlds?

"Lucas," Claus said, bobbing up and down with enthusiasm. "We can finally play together again after you come and join us! It's been so boring without you."

_Play? _Lucas thought. He wasn't a child… _Wait, I'm only fifteen! I feel so much older… _

"Yes indeed," Lucas replied. "We will need to make up those five years that we lost. I'm going to burn out soon."

Flint, Hinawa, and Claus all nodded simultaneously. Hinawa and Flint floated next to Lucas and grabbed his hand with their incorporeal ones. Lucas couldn't feel their touch, but he didn't need to in order to register the warmth of the moment. Claus joined hands with Flint and Hinawa, forming a circle.

"We'll go together!" Claus exclaimed.

Lucas nodded as the last of his life started to burn out. They started to rise higher in the sky, perfectly synchronized.

_I think that accepting death is not always a bad thing, _Lucas thought as the world around him started turning black. _Kumatora was just wrong in her ways. It's not good to force death on other people, and having nothing left to live for isn't a valid reason for accepting death. After all, we can always find something new to care about. We shouldn't accept death just because we have nothing left…_

Lucas' body finished burning away, but his sprit continued to rise through the sky.

_We can accept death only after we have accomplished everything that we set out to do in this world._


	31. Extras: For Those Who Were Lost, Q&A

**Hey, guys! :) I'm going to try to work on New Frontier soon, but it might take a while for the next chapter to come out because:**

**1\. I just got back from taking the ACT and I feel like a slob.**

**2\. My mom wants to have this story printed out as an actual, self-made book, which I think is AWESOME. But... sadly, it requires quite a bit of formatting, and formatting takes time.**

**3\. By the time I do finish with the rough draft for the next chapter, I'll want to take at least a day to review it.**

**4\. LUCAS IN SSB4!**

**So, this chapter has multiple parts/purposes. First, I will respond to reviews from ch. 30 (thanks for those, btw! :D), then comes one of those extra scenes that I was talking about, and last is a Q and A session for my characters.**

**So... the extra scene. This one isn't as carefully edited as my other chapters, so it might have a few more mistakes. :( It also lacks a strong conclusion, but oh well. If you don't want to read it, nobody is pressuring you (well, I'm not, at least!). ;)**

**Personally, I always enjoy the characters of a story more than the plot, assuming that the characters are good. I was pleased to find that you guys liked some of the characters that I wanted to share. :) Now in the Q and A you can ask them questions! Questions are asked through reviewing this chapter (or others, but make sure that you indicate that it's a question for one of my characters). I know that this is basically putting a sign on that says "Troll me!" but you guys are pretty cool, so I hope that you guys won't troll me ****_too _****much. ;) **

**The questions to my characters can be pretty much anything (although hopefully you mean them and aren't just trying to mess with me D:), so long as it's T rated at the worst. Examples of questions would be "What would you do in situation X?" or "What's your favorite food?" You know, normal questions. Oh, and don't feel like you have to use this. I'm totally okay if nobody decides to ask any questions. I just wanted to give you guys this opportunity. :)**

**Review Responses (if you review ch. 30 after this is published, I'll update this with my response ASAP):**

**SuperMarioFan5000:**** Haha, I didn't realize that you were SMF! xD I assumed that SMF were someone's initials... derp. :P**

**Yay! I'm glad that you liked the ending! It took a lot of time/thought to get it to where it is now. I wanted Lucas' death not to be sad, so I guess that went well... :) I'll be looking forward to seeing you in ****New Frontier****! :D**

**Guest:**** Thanks! :) **

**A Fan:**** Thanks for mentioning how some stuff didn't really make sense. :) I updated my chapter to explain it, but here it is! **

**As for the Evolution argument, yeah, I probably wouldn't argue like that either. However, neither of us are Ana, who is stubborn. In the back of their minds, everyone recognizes that the world is being destroyed and there's nothing that they can do except for wait, so the argument is a distraction of sorts.**

**As for Lucas dropping Porky in, I made some justification about how travel between universes messes with momentum. Honestly, I just wanted a reason to kill Lucas/Voice off because otherwise they would go travelling through different universes and use their PSI to breeze through any conflict, which I don't want. :(**

**Yup! Voice is Lucas from Mother 3, and I ****_might_**** explain later through a bonus chapter how he was able to get so much PSI. :)**

**Yeah, don't feel pressured to review the bonus chapters (I'm not expecting most people to). And yes, I have heard of Mother 4. It's gonna be awesome! :D**

**PK Love Gamma:**** Oh, you actually looked up phenotype? Well, I can understand why that definition would confuse you. A phenotype is basically a biological trait of an individual organism. :) Yeah, do do make sad stuff, but I try to end my stories on a happy note. After all, it's awesome watching a character succeed and smile after they've seen the depths of despair... at least, I think so. xD**

**See you in ****New Frontier!**** :)**

**JustMe. Hi:**** You're welcome! :) Thank ****_you _****for reading and reviewing! **

**Oh wow, dreaming all of Mother 3... that must have been ****_horrifying. _****D: Well, I'm glad that I made this last part a bit more uplifting! **

**No One Special:**** Hey, feel free to review in the way that you want to! I don't care at all if you ramble a bit... :) But thanks for putting the thought in and reviewing! And thanks for the encouraging words! :D **

**As for Claus going to other universes... I don't think I'll end up doing that. :( Voice kinda stumbled on it by accident in the first place, and Claus would have to work feverishly to get the powers that Voice did, even if he took his time doing it. Tbh, part of the reason that I killed off Voice/Lucas is so that there wouldn't be a godlike PSI user flying between universes. Sorry! D:**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Thanks! :) I'm glad that you liked this one too! **

**People talk about Jeff and Paula dating in their fanfics? ...I had no idea. xD**

**And hey, it's perfectly fine that you don't have any questions. :) Like I said, I'd be perfectly fine if _nobody _has questions for my characters. And yes, there will probably be another one of these. It may take a while, though...**

* * *

**For Those Who Were Lost**

**One Year Later:**

Ness stood atop a lonely hill, looking at the gravestones around him.

_Why do people always choose the dreariest places as graveyards? _Ness wondered.

This graveyard felt typical; dead trees were loosely scattered around, housing crows and ravens that produced the only sound in this half-baked excuse for a location. What wasn't typical were the people who the gravestones belonged to. Ness scanned the area, not having to read the name on the gravestone to remember which one belonged to whom.

_Duster, Dr. Andonuts, Poo, Flint, Ninten… and Lucas. _

The tombstones didn't actually mark where corpses were. In fact, the dragon had destroyed all of the dead bodies when the world had been reborn. Still, Ness had found it fitting to honor his fallen comrades for all that they had done.

"Dude, why are you _always _here?"

Ness turned to see Claus striding up to the graveyard. Naturally, he immediately walked up to Lucas' tombstone and laid down a bouquet of flowers. He then walked over to Flint's tombstone and placed another.

"It is important to remember what we have lost," Ness replied. "Every time I look at these people, I become determined not to let this happen to anyone else."

Claus smiled.

"Leave it to you to make things _way _more complicated than they have to be. I mean, they're just corpses… and not even that!"

"The world is a complicated place, Claus. Implications are at the heart of human interaction."

"True," Claus conceded. "True indeed…"

They stood there for a few minutes while crows produced cacophonic noises.

"So," Claus spoke up. "How do you feel about Jeff dating Paula?"

_Ah, yes, _Ness thought. _Claus doesn't have a sense of etiquette fit for locations such as a graveyard._

"It feels like a punch in the gut," Ness replied.

"Huh," Claus said. "At least you're honest, I guess."

Ness smiled.

"Yes, I can be honest because I need to recognize my faults in order to become better."

"Being bitter that one of your friends is dating the girl that you like isn't really a fault, Ness. It's natural."

"It is natural," Ness concurred, "And yet it is still a fault. Why should I begrudge Paula and Jeff of their happiness? Both of them are my friends; I should be glad for them. Sure, I would prefer to date Paula myself, but Jeff needs it more. Paula is such a good influence on him. Can you think of anyone who you would rather send a shy, insecure friend to?"

Claus blinked.

"How much time did you spend thinking about that?"

"Quite a bit of time," Ness replied. "Thinking is pretty much all I do these days. It's not a bad way to live."

Claus shrugged.

"I don't know how you can do it, Ness. Whenever I'm not _doing _anything, I feel restless."

"I guess we're just different," Ness replied with a smirk. "You prefer action while I prefer ideas. Both are necessary for a society to succeed."

"Ness, have you _ever _sounded your age?" Claus asked mockingly. "I swear that you're a 50 year old philosopher inside of that teenager's body."

"Yes, actually. When I was trying to defeat Giygas for the first time, I was childishly innocent. It never occurred to me that I could _lose. _Positive connotations are usually associated with innocence, but I feel that my lack of harsh experiences made me overconfident and foolish to a fault. That's why I grew up so quickly."

Claus snorted.

"No kidding! You're… seventeen?"

"Fifteen."

"You know, most boys your age are mostly concerned with being rebellious and getting a girlfriend."

"I… don't think that's a fair assertion, Claus. True, we teenagers have acute emotional responses due to our hormones and start to disagree with our parents as we develop our own beliefs, but we are essentially the same people. Out of all of the boys that I know, I cannot think of one whose rebelliousness and interest in girls are the defining traits of their character."

"You know… you think too much," Claus said with a smirk.

"And that is why we have people like you who act without thinking," Ness countered.

"Hey, I think a _little _before I act!"

Ness laughed.

"I know, Claus. Just like I act a _little _after I think."

Claus stretched his arms above his head and sighed.

"Man, this is surprisingly stress-relieving, considering that we're in a graveyard," Claus said with a genuine smile.

"I know," Ness replied. "I get that too."

"Hey, let's catch up on more gossip!" Claus exclaimed, his eyes twinkling in playfulness.

"…If you want to."

Claus laughed.

"Come on, Ness. Gossip is fun!"

"…If you say so."

"Lloid and Ana are dating," Claus said, fishing for a reaction of surprise from Ness.

He didn't get one. _Lloid and Ana… I feel sorry for Lloid, _Ness thought, but showed no outward signs of emotion.

"They don't seem like they would mesh all that well together…" Ness trailed off.

"I know, right!" Claus replied. "But I guess Ana can be kind and supportive when she wants to be."

_News to me. _Ness remembered how Ana had acted during Ness' reunion with his family. It did seem that Ana had a kind, empathetic side…

"Still," Ness responded, "Don't you think that Lloid would take Ana's playful, mocking words harshly? She doesn't poke fun at people as often, but she still does it occasionally and Lloid would be the kind of person to respond acutely to such mockery."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that, but I guess Ana doesn't make fun of some people."

_Now that I think about it, She never made fun of Paula or Jeff, _Ness realized.

"Why does she mock us, then?" Ness wondered out loud.

"I think that she knew that we can take it," Claus replied. "It might even be a compliment of sorts."

"A compliment that we're strong enough to take her jeers? She's never indicated that in the slightest."

Claus shrugged.

"Well, girls are weird."

Ness smiled.

"How like you to stereotype half of the population, Claus."

"But girls _are _weird."

"Debatable," Ness replied. "I would say that boys are pretty weird too. Some of us can want to kill someone one day and end up being best buddies with them the next. Doesn't that seem strange?"

"I… guess," Claus replied. "Anyways, I'm getting most of this info about Ana from Lloid. I talked to him and he said that their relationship is actually going _super _well. Lloid is still suffering from low self-esteem and nervousness, but apparently Ana is pretty empathetic about that. Lloid thinks that she had self-esteem issues at one point and knows what it's like."

_I'm learning all sorts of things about our good friend Ana today… I'm glad that Lloid is happy with her, though. _

"And Lloid also tipped me off that Ana was actually inspired by you when you first met her at New Pork," Claus continued.

"Very funny, Claus."

"I'm serious! Apparently, your sunny attitude motivated her to act like a good person."

_Well, it would be just like Ana to never tell me that…_

"And in turn," Claus continued, "Ana helped Ninten out. Then Ninten helped you out. It's like a karmic triangle!"

"Hmm…" Ness let out. "That's pretty interesting. Do acts of kindness perpetrate other acts of kindness, resulting in a positive feedback-"

"Ness, I think that you're missing the point."

"Oh, I wasn't aware that gossip had a point besides somehow being gratifying."

Claus opened his mouth and then closed it, realizing that Ness was probably right.

"Okay, maybe there wasn't a point," Claus conceded, "But you don't have to go all philosopher about everything that I say! Let's steer this subject back on its shallow course. Why don't you have a girlfriend, Ness? I'm sure a lot of them would fall for you; you're a hero, after all!"

It was true; Ness was a hero. It surprised him that nobody seemed to remember how he had originally failed to defeat Giygas.

_I guess you were right, Monotoli, _Ness thought, harkening back to his conversation with Fourside's mayor in Magicant. _Once I succeed, everyone forgets about my failures. _

"That's the problem, Claus," Ness replied. "I don't want to have someone date me because of what I did; I want to have someone date me because they like me. I'm still having trouble finding someone who will see me as a person rather than a hero."

"You're so _weird,_" Claus replied, shaking his head.

"If we were all normal, this world would be a boring place."

"True," Claus replied with a laugh.

"Besides, your dating tendencies are hardly normal. You've been waiting for Kumatora for a year. At what point will you give up and find somebody else?"

"Not anytime soon."

"Isn't that… kind of foolish? I intend no offense, but Kumatora might never come back."

"That's true," Claus replied, "But I don't care. This isn't what you're thinking, Ness. I'm not some sort of star-crossed lover. I just need to prove to Kumatora that someone as broken as she is can be made whole again in this world that we have created. I need to prove to _myself _that someone as broken as she is can be made whole again in this world. That means more to me than any pleasure that romance would give me."

"Claus, I didn't know that you were such a deep thinker!" Ness exclaimed.

"You know, Porky may have been right," Claus replied with a scowl. "You tend to assume that nobody else can do all of the cool crap that you do."

"I'm kidding, buddy."

"So you don't think that I'm a deep thinker?" Claus asked, pretending to be offended.

"…"

Claus broke out into laughter.

"This has got to be the first argument that I've ever won against you!" he exclaimed with a smirk.

"That wasn't an argument and winning arguments isn't a contest."

"I suppose…" Claus let out a sigh. "It is hard, though, waiting all of this time. I don't think that Lucas would have struggled as much as I would have with this. Lucas never struggled as much as I did with _anything._"

"Ah, yes, how we pale in comparison to those that we immortalize after death," Ness replied. "I feel the same way about Ninten. Still, though, I think that we're only remembering the good parts about them. They were both very much human, after all. I'm sure that they both had internal struggles of their own."

"You're right, as usual," Claus conceded, "But it doesn't make me feel any better to admit that."

"I get what you mean," Ness responded. "It's no wonder that the mentors in the stories always end up dying and leave the hero to grow by themselves. We learn so much from our solitary discoveries… You've heard my philosophy before, right…?"

"Too many times," Claus replied with a roll of his eyes. "I know that focusing on improvement is important, Ness. I really do. But… it's hard, sometimes."

"Hey, if it was easy, everyone would be close perfect by now," Ness reasoned. "You just need to keep working at it. Hopefully, self-improvement is gratifying…"

Claus smiled.

"That it is."

Ness smiled back.

"Come on, then. Let's keep growing and improving. We need to do it for those who live with us… and for those who never had a proper chance."

"You have an odd way of inspiring people, Ness," Claus replied with a smirk. "But that did make me feel better. Thanks."

"Always glad to be of service."

Claus and Ness continued to stand in the dreary graveyard, thinking about themselves and their fallen friends while the sun slowly set around them, basking them in an amber light.

* * *

**Q&amp;A:**

**Guest (1):**

**Lucas:** Yeah, I got to see my mother and father again. It felt... relaxing in ways that I didn't know were possible. I was horribly sad that I wouldn't be able to see Claus again (at least not in the physical realm), but seeing my mother and father made me happier than I knew was possible. The happiness didn't hit me the hardest, though. When I saw my parents smiling at me, I knew that they loved me and that _everything would be okay. _For the first time since my mother had died, I finally felt like I had nothing to worry about. I'm doing a awful job of describing it, but in that moment, I felt like I would be pleased no matter what else happened. Because no matter what happens, I will never again be separated from those that I love.

**Voice: **Mine felt like Lucas', but a thousand times more so. :P For two straight years, I focused on nothing but getting stronger. I wanted to be strong... so that I could bring those that I love back to this world. I never let myself take a break for _two years straight_. I hardly slept and ate; my PSI was nourishment enough. But... my practices twisted me in ways that I still feel today. Looking at my family, though... all of my troubles seem to float away. In the end, I finally got what I wanted. Going from a state of unrelenting, exhausting work to a state of carefree joy... it didn't feel real at first. It still doesn't feel real. Every once in a while, I think to myself: _Why am I here? Surely I don't deserve to reunite with those that love... _and then I realize that I helped save the world. I used to beat myself up quite a bit, you see, so when I was confronted with serendipity, I simply couldn't believe it. It still makes me... slightly uncomfortable. But hey, that's just one thing that I have to work on! ...that is, if I can. To be honest, I think that it's far more difficult (maybe impossible?) to change yourself once you're dead. I don't know why... but it won't stop me from trying! :)

**SMF:**

**Paula: **My normal self... I suppose that I have returned in a way. I believe that my morals and emotions are both in line (it helps that I have wonderful friends who are willing to help me out when I need it). I, once again, try to see the positives in the world without being bogged down by the negatives. That doesn't mean that I ignore the negatives, but I am able to see them as problems that require fixing rather than hopeless facts of life. Basically, I have returned to my normal self... except not completely. While I do not believe that my morality is lower than before I was brainwashed, I am... different, and I always will be. I find myself wanting to be alone more often, and I am less peppy than I was before. To put it simply... I am tired. However, that will not stop me from being the best person that I can. This exhaustion is just another issue that I have to deal with. :)

*I will address this topic further in my next extra (whenever I decide to make it)

**Claus: **Lucas' alter ego has his own world? Why does nobody tell me these things? ...Except, you're telling me right now. Um... thanks, I guess.

So if you haven't figured out by now, I did not know that I was brainwashed in Lucas' alter ego's world. Don't tell anyone this, but I'm not really surprised. I can be quite impulsive, so... I think that I would get captured more easily. That's scary, though. Lucas' alter ego had to go through what I did... no wonder he seems so ancient. I can definitely feel for him. :(

**Kumatora: **Hmm... the sensation that I feel upon hearing those words is difficult to describe, but I shall do my best.

This is somewhat cliched, but knowing that Claus is waiting for me feels... warm. It puts a spring in my step (not a literal one, of course) and gives me a newfound source of energy. I want to pace back and forth in the natural background that I find myself in, thinking about what it will mean to finally come home. After all, I have nothing else to do.

Home...

That word carries a foreign sense of wonder. Osohe Castle felt barren over the entire span of my childhood. I never had any friends, and I realized not too long ago that I never really felt comfortable where I lived. The prospect of coming back to a world where Claus accepts me and loves me... is all that keeps me moving. I feel that without Claus, I would choose to live the rest of my life out in solitude. Claus is the bridge that will connect me to the rest of society.

While I am extraordinarily thankful for that, a voice lurks in the back of my head that tells me that I'm not good enough and that I never will be. It tells me that I don't deserve the love that I received. I... feel tempted to agree, at times. After all, I caused so much pain... surely _I _of all people do not deserve forgiveness, let alone affection. But... whenever I think that, I recall how Claus embraced me right after the rebirth of the world. In that moment, I could let all of my worries float away. In that moment in the wilderness, I felt at home for the first time in my life. And extraordinarily, the never-ending pain around my synthetic parts disappeared in that moment. Maybe I don't deserve that feeling, but I am trying to learn how to accept it. After all, there's no point in beating myself up. I did _horrible _things, but fading away into solitude will not help anyone. Thus my current task: ridding myself of that cynical voice. I couldn't do it without Claus' kindness. Claus showed me that I still have a chance to make a positive impact on this world, even if it may not wash out all of the red on my resume. Knowing that he will be waiting for me is what allows me to ward off voice in my head.

For that, if nothing else, I love him dearly.


	32. Bonus Chapter 2: Scars

**Of course there's another Kingdom Hearts spinoff. When is there ****_not _****another Kingdom Hearts spinoff? **

**So, how did everyone like E3? Personally... I was kinda disappointed. I mostly looked at Nintendo's, and they didn't reveal ****_that _****much. They totally should have announced a Mother 3 port/remake! D: And the two other games that I was hoping to see were Fire Emblem Fates and Zelda Wii U. The former got like 30 secs of screen time and the latter wasn't talked about at all. :( Hm...? You guys don't want to hear me whine? Okay, I'll stop.**

**So yeah, this extra discusses religion quite a bit (I hope that nobody is surprised at this point...). It also happens to be an Ana POV. Ana is my favorite character, so I couldn't resist making an extra for her! ...Although, this one is for Paula as much as Ana. In case you haven't noticed, both of them are highly opinionated characters (Ana especially). I don't endorse any of their opinions. :) I just wanted to put their opinions out there fore the world to see... and by the world, I mean a few people who read fanfiction. :P Thanks for reading this, everyone! :D**

**And this chapter says "Six months later." That means that it's six months later than ch. 30, not six months later than the other bonus chapter.**

**Also, I don't think that I'm going to release another one of these anytime soon. I feel like I had plenty to talk about in terms of Paula and Ana's characters in this chapter, but I feel like most of my other characters are fully explained... although maybe I'll do a Ninten or Voice flashback.**

**You guys probably don't care all that much, but I just finished the rough draft for ch. 6 of ****New Frontier****. I like to have a day between when I write it and edit it, so I will probably edit/release it tomorrow.**

**Review Responses:**

**PK Love Gamma: Wow, that's... a pretty specific response! xD Personally, I feel that it would be a bit mean to scare Lucas with an animatronic, but I can see why it would also be fun. If I had to choose one person from this fanfic to scare with an animatronic, it would be Ana. It would be pretty funny watching her composure fade away because she always tries to break other people's composures. :)**

**SuperMarioFan5000:**** Heh, one does not simply ****_expect_**** Ness to act before thinking. ;)**

**OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: I posted this on ch. 31, but here it is in case you missed it:**

**"Thanks! :) I'm glad that you liked this one too!**

**People talk about Jeff and Paula dating? ...I had no idea. xD**

**And hey, it's perfectly fine that you don't have any questions. :) Like I said, I'd be perfectly fine if _nobody _has questions for my characters. And yes, there will probably be another one of these. It may take a while, though..."**

* * *

**Six months later: **

Ana strode through the hallways of the church, careful not to make a _complete _fool of herself. It had been years since Ana had found herself in one of these buildings.

She spotted Lloid and walked over to where he was sitting, trying not to bump into anybody. Ana plopped herself down right next to him.

"Ana!" Lloid exclaimed softly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to listen to Paula preach!" Ana responded. "Did I get the date and time wrong? I confess that I am _terrible _at remembering time-based details…"

Lloid blinked.

"No, Paula is speaking, but…"

"But what?" Ana asked.

"Well, you're not religious," Lloid finished nervously.

"I don't really see why that should matter," Ana replied defensively. "Paula is a wonderful person and I wish to support her. Isn't that reason enough to come?"

"I suppose…"

"Besides," Ana continued. "Paula can be quite persuasive. Perhaps she can convince me that I should convert. It's important to be able to change and adapt, you know?"

Ana didn't really think that would happen, but a remote possibility was still a possibility. Besides, to become more secure in her beliefs, Ana had to understand the other side's arguments.

"It is good that you wish to support Paula," Lloid said nervously. "I was just surprised because Jeff didn't come because of his lack of interest in religion, and he's one of Paula's closest friends."

"Lloid," Ana said softly, picking up on Lloid's discomfort, "I know that you must feel anxious, talking to someone that you don't know well like this. I'm not going to tell you to stop being nervous, because that's not how emotions work, but I just want to say that I understand what you are going through and that you can feel free to talk to me about anything."

Lloid seemed to calm down a bit. He stopped fidgeting, which was a clear improvement.

"Thanks, Ana," he whispered. "That really means a lot to me."

"No problem!" Ana exclaimed, trying to remember to keep her voice down. "And as for Jeff… shame on him! Doesn't he know that Paula worked _super _hard for this?"

"I think that Paula told him that he didn't need to come," Lloid explained.

"Still…" Ana replied. "Considering how much Paula supports him, the_ least_ that Jeff can do is come here and listen to her talk. I'm going to have a chat with him after this…"

Those words lingered in the air as Lloid resumed fidgeting.

_Oh, he's nervous about a potential confrontation between me and Jeff, _Ana thought. _By the looks of it, the phrase "I'm going to have a little chat" carries painful memories for him… _

Ana imagined living with the bullies that Lloid called his birth parents. Whenever she would do something wrong, a man would adopt a stern face and utter those words:

_I'm going to have a little chat with you. _

After hearing those words so many times, Ana would be _terrified. _She would feel a helpless burst of energy overtake her, energy that begged her to run even though there was no way out…

Ana shivered. That must have been what Lloid had gone through. It made her feel grateful that she had been born with kind, supportive parents. At least she had fond memories of them that she could hold onto…

"Lloid," Ana continued, softening her words, "When I say that I am going to have a chat with Jeff, I mean that we will talk as civilized human beings, not one of us trying to overpower the other like you and your parents."

"I know, but…" Lloid's eyes shot open. "Wait, how did you know that my parents used to say that to me?"

"Your expression told it all," Ana replied sadly. "I am sorry for what happened to you."

"It's fine," Lloid replied quickly, likely out of habit. "But still… how can you read so much from one expression?"

Ana shrugged.

"I guess that you just need to know what to look for. After spending so much time with Ness, I tend to see people in a different light. Too bad he had some super important meeting or whatever and couldn't make it today."

Lloid nodded, although his expression soured slightly. Ana blinked. Lloid wasn't _jealous _that she was spending time with Ness… right?

"Ana!" another voice exclaimed. "What are _you _doing here?"

Ana turned to see Claus, who looked more surprised than he deserved to be.

_Why does everyone ask that? _Ana wondered. Even Ness had been surprised when she told him of her intentions to listen to Paula preach.

"I'm listening to Paula," Ana said, her voice falsely sweet. "Are you here for something else?"

"I, no, but…"

"But what?" Ana demanded.

_I'm getting a sense of déjà vu… or déjà entendu, in this case._

"Well, you're not religious," Claus responded hesitantly.

Ana sighed.

"It annoys me slightly that you guys feel such surprise at my willingness to support my friend, regardless of our differences in beliefs."

"…Sorry," Lloid said weakly.

"Oh!" Ana exclaimed, finding it harder and harder to keep her voice down. "Don't beat yourself up over that! I mean, I can hardly fault you for a reflex mistake, right? I just wanted to point it out."

Lloid nodded slowly.

"Ana," Claus said, not bothering to offer an apology himself. "You're pretty loud."

Oops.

"Yeah…" Ana said quietly. "I suppose that I was. Thanks for pointing that out. It's been seven years since I've been in one of these buildings. Ness told me what to do and what not to do, but my natural habits tend to take over."

Claus nodded, accepting the explanation.

"We should probably stop talking altogether," Claus said. "It looks like Paula's about to arrive."

Right as he said that, Paula entered the church looking flustered and walked up to the front. The room fell silent… or maybe nobody except for Ana had been talking in the first place.

_Hey Claus, _Ana sent, _Were we the only ones making noise?_

_Yeah, pretty much. _

_Damn! _Ana swore. _Now everyone will think that I have no sense of decency._

_Well, they would be right, _Claus sent with a playful smirk.

Ana scowled.

_Not funny, Claus._

_Hey, you make fun of me all of the time. I'm just doing the courtesy of returning your favor. _

Ana supposed that Claus was right and that she shouldn't take his words so seriously, _especially _because she tended to dish out similar insults, but that didn't mean that she had to be happy about it.

By this point, Paula was walking passed Ana's row and adopted a look of surprise upon seeing Ana.

_Why is everyone shocked to see me today? _Ana wondered.

Paula arrived at the front of the church and cleared her throat nervously.

_You've got this, Paula! _Ana sent. _You worked super hard for this; don't let your nerves prevent you from reaching these people!_

_Ana? _Paula sent back, trying to mask her surprise. _Um… thanks, I guess._

_Go and knock the hell out of this speech, Paula! You can totally do it!_

_Language, Ana. We are in a church, you know._

_Meh; nobody can hear us anyway._

_…It's not just about other people hearing. Common courtesy dictates that profanity is to be avoided in a church setting._

Oops again. It had never occurred to Ana that swearing was prohibited for any reason other than the fact that churches were packed to the brim with conservative prudes.

_Damn! _Ana thought. _It might seem like I was being disrespectful towards Paula's religion…_

Ana looked at Paula and saw nothing but mild amusement.

_…I'm sorry, _Ana replied. _I honestly didn't know, as lame as that sounds._

_Chill, Ana. I know that you meant no disrespect._

Ana sighed in relief. Despite her empathy, Ana had a habit of offending people due to her oblivious nature. She loved Paula's ability to see the underlying intent under her blunders.

_Now, I do not wish to offend, but I am about to start speaking, _Paula sent. _I would appreciate it if you did not send any more messages. I truly enjoy talking with you, but your messages can be quite… distracting._

_Gotcha, _Ana sent and then almost swore as she realized that she had already done the exact opposite of what Paula had asked.

"I would like to apologize for my tardiness," Paula announced, not seeming fazed. "And I would like to thank you for bearing with me."

_Yup, Paula starts every speech off with an apology. _

"The topic that I wish to discuss with you all today carries importance to me in particular, although I believe that we can all salvage a lesson from my experiences."

Paula spoke more confidently than Ana could believe.

_You go, girl! _Ana thought, forcing herself not to send those words as a telepathic message.

"Today, I am here to talk about forgiveness," Paula picked up. "Now, I'm sure that all of you have heard that forgiveness is an attribute lauded by god."

_Nope, _Ana thought.

"It is important to be able to forgive," Paula continued, looking out to her audience with a sweet smile. "Holding spite against our enemies… helps nobody. If you cannot learn to forgive, the only person that it hurts is yourself. The people that you hate will move on. God will make a red mark next to your name and move on. But you'll be stuck in the past, feeling poisonous rage flow through your veins. And I cannot speak for everyone, but I imagine that it must not be fun to become angry and bitter."

"However, as I mentioned earlier, all of us have already heard this. We all know the importance of forgiveness. After all, that is one of the pivotal points of our religion. We aren't perfect. God doesn't expect us to be perfect. We make mistakes, and that's okay. That is why we make an effort to confess our sins. After all, if we do not understand where we went wrong in the past, future improvement becomes a futile notion… and improving is the only way to cleanse a tarnished soul."

_Wow, _Ana thought. _I always figured that the "confess your sins" thing was just an excuse for priests to wag their fingers at people for being imperfect… the way that Paula explains it carries a larger appeal. I swear, she can make _anything _seem reasonable._

"Because in the end, it doesn't matter how high we start," Paula continued. "It's how high you _rise _that is an accurate measure of success, both in our eyes and god's."

_Am I listening to Paula or Ness? _Ana wondered wryly.

"That is why it is important to forgive," Paula persisted. "We learn by failure. If we do not allow people to falter, we end up stunting their growth. That is why anyone, assuming that they wish to atone for their sins, may be forgiven, even a murderer."

_Hear that, Kumatora?_

"However, there is one person that some of us forget to forgive. That person… is ourselves."

_What? _Ana thought. _This is new._

"Yes," Paula continued. "Some of us get so caught up in forgiving others that we forget about ourselves… and we shouldn't. After all, nobody in this room is perfect. We all make mistakes, and that's okay. Why should we beat ourselves up when we forgive the faults of others? Just because god wants you to care about others does not mean that he wishes for you to neglect yourself. We gain _nothing _by attacking ourselves. As I said before, holding a grudge only ends up hurting you… and that applies to grudges against yourself."

Ana felt a chill rush down her spine.

_Self-forgiveness… It's like her topic was made for me. _

In New Pork, Ana had often set lofty goals for herself and beat herself up when she failed to meet them. After being told that she had been worthless for years… she had started to believe it herself. That caused her to become frustrated whenever she found herself becoming like all of the other heartless children at her school.

But… in the end, what she needed was a reprieve from her pain. She needed time to be able to relax and truly enjoy herself… because the knowledge of a bright future would fuel her drive as she strove to be a better person. Beating herself up would only make it worse… and it had. Because Ana spent her free time scolding herself instead of relaxing, her problems only magnified. She used what little energy she had by beating herself up for not having enough energy in the first place, resulting in her not having _any _vitality left. It was a vicious cycle… that ended up leaving Ana bitter.

Ana had to release that bitterness in some way, so she took it out on other people. Ana had lived for the reactions on people's faces when she playfully prodded at their beliefs. But that didn't help her own self-esteem. Even today, she still thought that she was a worthless excuse for a human being.

The scars that had burdened Ana throughout her time in New Pork had not healed.

"God wants you to love everyone, and that includes yourself," Paula continued. "Every one of us in this room is an amazing person."

Ana resisted the temptation to snort.

"I mean that with all sincerity." Paula opened up the palm of her hand and looked at it for a second before turning back to the audience. "We have been given amazing bodies." Paula touched her thumb to every one of her other fingers on that hand. "Something as simple as an opposable thumb allows us to do wonders in this world. We can write, build, and use tools, all because of one little finger. God gave every one of us a wonderful opportunity. And while that does mean that we have a greater responsibility than other creatures who lack our intellect, it is important to remember how amazing we all truly are."

"When I was trying to recover from the tertiary effects of my brainwashing, I struggled. Such difficulty is natural, but I used to beat myself up for not making progress quickly enough. I would tire myself out trying to feel emotion, and then I would spend what precious little energy I had left scolding myself for _not being good enough_."

_Paula… _Ana thought longingly. _You know how it feels, don't you? You know the pain of not being satisfied with who you are. It lingers around every corner; it hides in every shadow. When we hate ourselves, it changes who we are. It twists us and hurts us and breaks us… and nobody cares. _

_It makes me feel so alone._

"Eventually, I realized that I was taking steps back, even with all of the effort that I had put in," Paula continued. "I would snap at my friends and family at a moment's notice, especially when I felt like they were coddling me. I couldn't accept their pity, as I was too caught up in my own. The prospect of someone so much as _thinking _that they understood what I felt made my blood boil, although I tried not to show it."

A tear came to each of Paula's eyes, perfectly synchronized as they rolled down her cheeks. She looked up at the audience and Ana could see all of the pent up pain that Paula had felt in the last six months.

_Oh, Paula… I thought that we saved this world so that people wouldn't have to feel this._

Paula shook her head as more tears came to her eyes.

"As you can see," Paula started again, her voice shaking in pain, "Those experiences were quite rough for me. I still bear psychological scars from what I did to myself."

Ana could feel tears coming to _her _eyes. Great.

"So… if you take nothing else from this…" Paula stopped and cleared her throat, trying to hold back the river of sorrow that was about to break through her brain's psychological dam. "Please… don't make the same mistake that I did. Don't beat yourself up. It doesn't help anyone and it just turns you into someone bitter. It's okay to make mistakes, so long as we try to improve… please… see that before you find that you've been warped into someone that you hate even more. Please…"

Paula buried her face in her hands. Ana wanted _so badly _to rush up and offer assistance, but that would only bring shame to Paula's name.

"You see… how much the scars still hurt me," Paula whispered as loudly as she could. "So, please… don't do what I did."

The room went silent for a few seconds. Finally, Paula gritted her teeth and stood up straight.

"But… I'm okay now," she whispered. "I didn't give in. Even though I subjected myself to psychological agony, I fought back!"

Paula's eyes flew wide open in agonizing horror as a stream of tears sprouted from her eyes. Her mouth dropped open as she struggled not to scream. But… under the pain, Ana saw the raw determination in Paula's eyes that set her apart from every other human being on the planet. It was the most _beautiful _thing Ana had ever seen.

"I know that some of you are hard on yourselves," Paula said, her voice hardening out of conviction. "And it's okay to push yourself. But once you start _hurting _yourself for your failures, that is where you _have to stop. _I know that some of you out there beat yourself up because you're not as pure as you would like."

Paula scanned the entire crowd. Many people lowered their heads in shame. For a split second, Paula and Ana locked eyes, both of them seeing the pain that the other had inflicted on herself.

"God… doesn't care if you're perfectly pure," Paula said, her voice cracking once more. "He… just wants you to love everyone. And that includes yourself!"

Paula didn't speak after that. She just stood there, gritting her teeth as she tried to keep herself together.

Ana's felt nothing but sheer admiration for Paula. That girl had been torn apart at the seams while her parents tried to force her awkwardly back together in ways that didn't make sense. In spite of that, in spite of everything harmful that life had thrown at her, Paula's only concern was preventing others from making the same mistake.

_Claus and Lucas will be remembered for saving the world, _Ana thought, _But the person that deserves to be remembered until the end of time stands at the front of this church. _

In that moment, Ana desperately wished that god existed, if only so that there would be _someone _with a permanent record of this moment.


	33. City of Progress Spinoff: Love Wins

**Hey, everyone! :)**

**So, I'm calling this chapter a "spinoff" because it's not something that happens in the City of Progress universe. This chapter is set in present day America, but the characters from City of Progress are mostly the same (you'll see that Claus is a bit different). The reason for this is that I wanted to write my characters' reactions to the supreme court ruling about same-sex marriage (they legalized gay marriage in all 50 states, for anyone who doesn't live in America and didn't hear about it). As you can probably guess, my characters wholeheartedly support the decision. :)**

**I tried to write characters the same as they were in City of Progress, but there are a few minor differences. Ness is less philosophical, which I attribute to being around Tracy. He acts more like a normal kid when he's around his sibling, apparently. :) I guess that's kinda how I am too (although I'm not _quite _as philosophical as Ness in my day-to-day life :P).**

**Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

"Hey, Ness, what are you doing?" Tracy asked.

"I already told you," scrambling around to straighten as Tracy watched with an amused smile. "I'm hosting a party today."

"Ah, right, your… celebration of the supreme court decision. Nothing like having a party after hearing about the courts, huh? It's probably because they're so _exciting._"

Ness blushed.

"This wasn't my idea."

"Whose was it, then?"

"Ana. Who else?"

"I was thinking Paula…"

"Does Paula seem like someone who would want to throw a party… ever?"

"It feels weird to say this, but I guess you're right." Tracy paused, looking up to the ceiling in thought. "That so _rarely _happens that it feels wrong, somehow..."

Ness snorted.

"Anyways, all of my friends except for Jeff are coming, so I need to make this place look like _you_ don't live here."

Tracy rolled her eyes.

"You make most of the mess around here and you know it."

"Do not."

"Wanna ask mom? I think that she'll side with me on this one…"

"Go ahead, once she gets back."

"Does she _know _that you're throwing a party?"

"…Maybe."

Tracy walked up and patted Ness on the shoulder.

"Look at you, being _rebellious! _I never thought that I'd see this day."

"Cut the drama, Tracy."

Tracy huffed.

"Well, there's nothing else to do."

"You could help me straighten here."

"What would be the fun in _that?_"

Ness sighed.

"You know that your laziness will come back to bite you, right?"

"I prefer to think of it as… efficiency."

Ness rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"So… are you going to kick me out of your party?" Tracy asked. "Because, you know, it's you and your _high school _friends."

"You can join us if you want, but I don't see why you would want to get within 100 feet of Ana."

Tracy laughed.

"She's not _that _bad, Ness."

"I know. There's just nobody else in my group to pick on."

"Claus?"

"It's not cool to make fun of the homeless kid."

"Ah."

"But… please don't tell Ana that I said that. She can be surprisingly sensitive…"

"Really? Even though she ignores other people's sensitiveness?"

"Sensitiveness?"

"It's a word, Ness."

"It's a pretty awkward word."

"You would know… nerd."

Tracy poked Ness and smiled.

"Guilty as charged," Ness muttered. "But going back to your question, I think that Ana does try not to make fun of sensitive people."

"Wait… so she thinks that _you _aren't sensitive?"

"Tracy…"

"What? Both mom and I know about the time that…"

"Okay, okay, you don't have to list off every time that I acted emotional!"

Tracy laughed.

"I'm just teasing, Ness."

"Glad to hear it," Ness muttered.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Ness said.

"You don't really have a choice, because I sure as _hell_ am not going to get it," Tracy replied.

Ness ignored his sister and opened the door, revealing Paula and Lloid. Paula offered a characteristic smile while Lloid fidgeted with his glasses. Both held bags that presumably carried food.

"Thanks for hosting the party, Ness," Paula said warmly and stepped in, Lloid following nervously behind.

Ness felt a warm feeling reverberate through his body when Paula spoke to him. _Am I… in love with her? _Ness wondered. If so, that would be _quite _inconvenient, as Paula was already dating Jeff.

"No problem," Ness replied. "Do you know why Jeff couldn't come?"

Paula shook her head.

"Ana didn't say."

"Ana?"

"Yeah, they're adopted siblings now. Didn't you know?"

"No…"

_Poor Jeff, _Ness thought. _Having to deal with Ana as a sister must not be fun._

"Hey, Paula!" Tracy shouted.

"Tracy," Ness muttered. "Let's keep the noise level low. Between Ana and Claus, my eardrums will probably go on strike at some time this evening."

Tracy stuck her tongue out to indicate that she didn't care.

"Hey, Lloid!" she shouted in an even louder voice. "How's it going?"

"Er… fine," Lloid replied, doubtless feeling uncomfortable about getting caught in the crossfire between Ness and Tracy.

"I heard that Paula's parents took you in," Tracy said, her voice (thankfully) returning to its natural tone. "How's that going?"

"Wait; how do you know that?" Ness asked.

"I hang out with Paula quite a bit," Tracy replied. "At _church, _I might add. Hint, hint, Ness."

"My spiritual beliefs lie elsewhere," Ness responded evenly. "It's wonderful that you and Paula go to church, but it's also fine that I prefer solitary practices."

Paula smiled and nodded; Ness had taken those words directly from her.

"Erm…" Lloid spoke up. "Do you still want to hear about my situation?"

"Nah," Tracy responded offhandedly. "After talking for a full thirty seconds, your situation just isn't that… of course we want to hear, Lloid!"

"Er… okay."

"I apologize for Tracy," Ness said. "She tends to trample on people's emotions. In this case, it wasn't even intentional."

"I-It's fine."

"Oh!" Tracy's eyes shot up. "Did I… offend you?"

"…No."

"That's a yes," Ness translated, unable to keep an impish smile from popping up on his face.

Tracy scowled.

"I think it's a no."

"And I think that they both still want to hear about you situation, Lloid," Paula said gently.

Tracy shot a look at Paula that seemed to say: _You actually want to be productive? Fine; be that way._

"Er…" Lloid cleared his throat. "Paula's parents are quite kind to me. They took me in when I needed them, which in itself was an act of extreme kindness. They treat me as a human rather than a vessel for them to live vicariously through… it's wonderful."

Lloid stared wistfully up to the ceiling as he spoke those words, a quiet sense of wonder lacing each syllable as if he couldn't quite believe that he had really stumbled on a decent life.

_Poor guy, _Ness thought.

"Of course, no parental relationship is perfect," Paula added. "There is some… discord hanging in the air. Lloid feels uncomfortable about religion after how his parents treated him, so he harbors reservations that my parents don't seem to endorse or even understand. You know, they're super religious, so they tried to push Lloid to resume his regular practices. It… didn't work out so well. I'm trying to create a greater understanding between them."

"Of course you are," Tracy replied, "Little miss perfect."

Paula blushed.

"You all know that I'm nowhere near perfect."

"I apologize again for Tracy," Ness said.

"That's one of your biggest failing points," Tracy scoffed. "You apologize too often."

Ness shrugged.

"Well, we should probably get you two settled in," he said, motioning for Paula and Lloid to come further into the house.

"Ooh!" Tracy shouted, her eyes lighting up. "What do you have in those bags?"

Paula and Lloid took an assortment of food out of the bags and set them out of the table. Naturally, Paula slid food out confidently while Lloid handled his food gently, as if scared that he would break something.

"Cookies, potato chips, cupcakes…" Tracy started to list, "And _carrots? _What kind of party is this?"

"Our parents insisted that we take something healthy," Lloid explained, fidgeting with his glasses.

"Those killjoys!" Tracy exclaimed.

"Yes, how dare they worry about our health?" Ness asked sarcastically, which earned him a glare from Tracy.

"You're _such _a goody two shoes," Tracy muttered dramatically.

"That's funny, because I'm not wearing any shoes right now."

"It's a _metaphor, _dummy!"

"Not a good one. It doesn't provoke a visual image, which is the point of all metaphors. Figurative language that doesn't paint a picture is both inefficient and pointless."

"Have you been reading Orwell, Ness?" Paula asked with a smile.

"…Maybe."

"Ah, yes," Lloid spoke up, a glint of academic pursuit appearing in his eye. "_Politics and the English Language. _One of the best essays that I've ever read."

Tracy let out an exasperated sigh.

"Let's stray away from this nerd stuff, shall we?"

"This is kind of a nerd party," Paula replied with a friendly smile. "After all, we're celebrating the supreme court decision!"

"Why would we celebrate only five out of nine justices being sane?" Tracy asked.

_So pointed in her words… _Ness thought. _Ana must have had a bad influence on her…_

"Sane is a bit of a harsh word," Paula responded. "But it doesn't matter that only five of them voted to legalize gay marriage. The point is that they _did _legalize gay marriage across the entire country."

"I guess…" Tracy trailed off, biting the inside of her cheek as she looked up to the ceiling in thought.

"Just think about it," Paula said with a determined twinkle in her eye. "Now everybody has the right to marry the person that they love, regardless of sexual orientation. This isn't just a victory for gays, this is a victory for _humanity. _I would put this on the level of Brown v. Board of Education."

"Hopefully this one doesn't take ten years to implement," Ness muttered.

"Yeah…" Paula said with a sigh. "That decision was rather poorly enforced, huh? But I have high hopes about this one. After all, support has been swinging drastically in favor for gay marriage in the past decade or so."

"There shouldn't even be a question," Lloid whispered. "Not allowing people to love each other is fundamentally wrong no matter which way you look at it."

Everyone else solemnly nodded their agreement.

"Now that we got that out of the way, may I start eating the food that you brought?" Tracy asked, breaking the silence.

Ness scowled.

"This is a _big _moment, Tracy. I think that you can refrain from gorging yourself until everyone arrives."

"Sheesh!" Tracy shouted. "So _procedural, _Ness."

"It's basic decency, Tracy."

"I prefer to think of myself as a progressive who ignores unimportant tradition."

"Feel free to do that, but in the meantime, _I _will stop you from pigging out before Ana and Claus arrive."

_Partly because it would be awful to consume most of the food before Claus has a chance to eat. I swear, that kid doesn't nourish his body properly. When he comes over here, my mother has to practically force food down his throat._

"I agree with Ness," Paula added. "I think that it would mean a lot to Claus and Ana if we waited. Well… maybe not Ana, but I think that Claus would appreciate it."

"Besides," Ness chimed in. "You'll eat the food either way. Why does it matter _when?_"

"Hmph," Tracy huffed.

That translated to: "I know that you're right, but I'm too stubborn to admit it."

At that moment, the doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it again," Ness said. "Because I assume that you're still not willing to walk and open a door, Tracy."

"You got it!"

Ness rolled his eyes at Tracy's playful smile and opened the door, revealing Ana with… a case full of beer?

"What's with the drinks?" Ness asked.

"This is a _party, _right?" Ana asked, as if it were obvious that she should bring alcohol. Shaking her head, Ana walked into the house. "What's up, bitches?"

"I've never understood the point of causal swearing," Ness muttered. "After all, the point of swearing is to indicate a heightened level of emotion, usually rage. Using such profanity offhandedly seems to take the point out of it."

"It's making a statement, Ness," Ana replied. "By defying the logic of those reasons that you so masterfully laid out, I'm basically saying 'I'm using these words in the way that they aren't supposed to be used and I don't care. Deal with it.'"

Ness blinked.

"Hah!" Ana shouted, a triumphant smile popping up on her face. "You didn't think that I would have a response to that, but I totally did!"

"Congrats," Ness muttered.

"Aw, you're just a sore loser."

"I didn't lose anything! I made a point and you made a counter point. When did this 'losing' thing come into play?"

"Everything's a competition, Ness."

"If you say so."

Ana dropped her conversation with Ness, walking up to Lloid and hugging him.

_Oh right, _Ness thought. _They're dating. This is a little awkward._

"Nice to see you here," Ana said in a warm tone that surprised Ness.

"Nice to see you too," Lloid replied nervously.

Ana released her grip.

"You're not nervous of me, are you?" she asked, uncharacteristic concern showing in her eyes.

"He's worried that we'll judge you for acting lovey-dovey," Paula explained.

"Oh!" Ana exclaimed. "Sorry!"

"It's not your fault," Lloid whispered. "I… just get oversensitive. That's my problem, not yours."

Ana flashed a proud smile.

"It's wonderful that you recognize that! Just realizing that you need to improve is often the hardest step."

Lloid smiled wholeheartedly.

_Man, I did not expect them to get along so well, _Ness thought. _And I didn't expect Ana to show so much compassion for Lloid's problems! I swear, she's a completely different person around him._

"Um, Ana," Paula spoke up. "Is that beer that you have there?"

"Yeah; what else?"

Everyone stared at Ana. An awkward silence ensued.

"What?" Ana asked.

"None of us drink," Paula explained.

"Are you kidding?" Ana asked. "Come on, this is a _huge _moment! Thousands of people all across the nation are now allowed to join in love. Doesn't that justify some celebration?"

"We can celebrate without drinking," Paula countered.

"Hmph," Ana muttered. "You guys are no fun."

"It's not a good idea to drink at our age," Paula explained.

"Don't you drink wine whenever you go to church?" Ana asked. "You know, for communion?"

"…That's more symbolic than anything else," Paula explained.

"Well, this is symbolic too!" Ana argued. "We drink to share some of the joy of the couples who are now allowed to marry!"

"That's different," Ness said.

Ana sighed.

"I officially give up trying to figure out how your minds work. Come on, why shouldn't we take a swig?"

"It's just not something that I want to do," Paula replied. "I won't judge you if you want to consume alcohol, but drinking just doesn't appeal to me."

"But you'll die of thirst if you don't drink!"

Paula chuckled and Ness groaned.

"Ana, that was _awful_," Ness said.

"Well, I give myself an 'A' for effort," Ana responded smugly.

"I wouldn't."

Ana sighed.

"So why don't _you_ want to drink some of this stuff, Ness?"

"I don't see any reason to consciously lower my cognitive capabilities, _especially _in ways that could have long-lasting or even permanent effects."

"One drink won't hurt you, Ness."

"It probably won't, but why risk it?"

"You guys are no fun," Ana repeated.

"You're only saying that because I countered your logic-based argument."

Ana cocked her head.

"I guess you're right… but still, this is good stuff. Are you guys sure that you don't want any?"

"I'll have some!" Tracy exclaimed.

"No you won't," Ness stated. "You're eleven!"

"I was mostly joking."

"Mostly joking isn't joking enough."

"Chill, Ness! You don't have to be such a prude!"

"Well excuse me for actually _caring _about the health of your brain!"

"I know! You're awful!"

Ness blinked.

"Good job, Tracy," Ana said with a smirk. "Between the two of us, we'll annoy Ness more than he thought possible!"

Ana walked up and gave Tracy a high-five.

_That has got to be the least high-five worthy high-five I've ever seen._

Tracy stuck her tongue out at Ness. He pretended not to notice.

"So, Ana," Paula spoke up. "How's your home situation?"

"Fine," Ana replied. "My foster parents are scientists, so we share quite a few interests. Jeff and I help out quite a bit with their experiments… I feel like that's why they adopted us and not Claus."

"Shouldn't they adopt someone for a reason other than labor?" Ness asked incredulously.

"Ah, it's not all labor. From what I can tell, they wanted to adopt children, but they didn't want to have to take care of them. Jeff and I are pretty easy… and our help is just an extra perk for them."

"Still though… that doesn't seem right."

Ana shrugged.

"That's how life is. I'm just happy to have a roof over my head."

_Poor Claus… _Ness thought sadly.

"So, why can't Jeff come today?" Paula asked.

"He's travelling with our foster mother. Apparently, their lab has a bunch of cool physics crap. Blargh… physics."

"What's wrong with physics?" Lloid asked.

"Eh…" Ana trailed off. "Biology interests me more. It feels… _real._"

Ness nodded. Physics involved enough math to make even its applications seem… techy rather than sciency. Perfect for Jeff; a nightmare for Ana.

"Well, should we get this party started?" Ana asked. "Ooh! Cookies, chips, and cupcakes… wait, are those _carrots?_"

"I know," Tracy moaned. "It's awful."

Ness smiled.

"You two are so entitled… you do know that, right?"

Ana shot Ness an impish smile.

"I'm half kidding."

"So what's the other half?"

"Adulting?"

Ness facepalmed as Ana released a few chuckles.

"Sorry, Ness; I couldn't resist! So… food? Oh, wait. Claus still hasn't shown up. We should wait for him."

Ness shot Tracy a look that said: "Even _Ana _has more restraint than you."

Tracy scowled.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang once more.

"That'll be Claus," Ness said. "I-"

"Yes, you'll get it," Tracy interrupted offhandedly.

Ness didn't respond to his sister's outburst and opened the door. Claus stood on the porch, wearing a black jacket. A purple bruise covered his left cheek.

"What happened to you?" Ness asked.

Claus looked confused.

"Oh, you mean the bruise? It's nothing."

"It's certainly _something!_"

Claus shrugged.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter."

Claus always surprised Ness with his matter-of-fact attitude. The ginger-haired boy stepped into Ness' house and seemed to relax a bit. A smile appeared on his normally hard face.

_This world is slowly turning him to stone, _Ness thought. And all because of factors that he couldn't control…

"Hey, Claus!" Ana shouted. "We haven't seen you in ages!"

"It's been a week, Ana," Claus replied, his voice softening.

"It's nice to see you, Claus," Paula said sweetly.

"You know," Claus said wistfully. "You guys are some of the only people who see me as a human. Everyone else views me as a thug."

Claus' casual tone hit Ness like a punch in the gut.

"Well, we'd be pretty _shitty _friends if we didn't," Ana replied.

"Let's try to keep the language mild, Ana," Paula said nonjudgmentally. "After all, not everyone in this room is part of our age group."

"Hey!" Tracy shouted. "I can deal with swearing!"

"By deal with it, she means incorporate it into her casual vocabulary," Ness muttered, not intending for anyone else to hear.

Claus smiled; he was the only one who caught Ness' comment. His smile carried a dangerous edge to it; Ness struggled to avoid letting fear into his heart. Claus had changed _so much._

"I'm sorry that I'm late," Claus said. "I had to work overtime today."

"Well, I hope that you got paid extra," Ana said.

"I did."

Claus' eyes seemed to shine when he said those words.

_Poor kid, _Ness thought. _That the thought of earning a bit more money makes him ravenous._

"Nobody judges you for showing up late," Ness said. "After all, you have to juggle school and work."

"Not during the summer."

"Still, though… I get burned out after a year of just school. I don't know how you manage to keep up, Claus."

Claus smiled sadly.

"The people around me provide the example that I… do not want to follow. That grants me the motivation that I need. It's like you say, Ness: life can bounce back for the better at any random moment; I just have to survive until I can make it happen."

"Still, though… how can you deal with your life _day after day? _After all, you live in a freaking homeless shelter! That can't be a relaxing environment. After all, it's not even legal for someone your age to live without an adult!"

"Tell me about it," Claus replied with a snort. "It's so annoying whenever I have to do something that requires a parent signature. Still, it's better than going to an orphanage."

"That must be exhausting," Ness whispered. "And the fact that you don't have a way out…"

"So you do understand," Claus whispered, his eyes widening as they revealed buried pain. "You understand that it's not the work that hardens me, but the knowledge of future work. It's not the fact that I have to go home exhausted _today, _it's the fact that I will have to go home exhausted _tomorrow _and _the day after that, _that the exhaustion will _never _end. Although… I suppose that's not true. When I'm with you guys, the fatigue goes away."

Claus offered a genuine smile. Ness' mind flashed as a memory came to mind. In that moment, Ness saw Claus smiling the same way as he eagerly dashed through the lush forest, motioning for Ness and Lucas to follow.

_Lucas… _Ness thought. _You don't have to worry about being forgotten. Claus wears the pain of losing you as his armor. _

Out of everyone, Ana seemed the most excited Claus' words.

"Thanks, Claus! We all know that you need to have times where you can just… be yourself, free from all distractions. And Ness isn't the only one who admires you. I think that we were all stupefied to find how well you manage to deal with everything in your life."

Claus nodded in gratitude.

"Thanks, Ana. But this party isn't a Claus pity session. It's about… same-sex marriage rights. Just curious; why are we throwing a party for this? I mean… none of us are gay, unless…" Claus looked at Ness.

"Nope," Ness said. "I'm straight."

Claus nodded.

"Well," Paula said. "We're celebrating for everyone else who can express their love. And it was Ana's idea. You know how she gets."

"Ah."

"Hey, this idea was actually _good!_" Ana argued.

_Sadly… she might be right, _Ness thought.

"But still," Paula continued. "This isn't just about gays, Claus. The Supreme Court decision was a victory for love. And we all come together now in our amiable love for each other."

"It's refreshing to hear that phrase," Claus said. "'Amiable love'… people where I live would find those words feeble. To them, caring for another person is a weakness. I should spend more time around you guys."

"You already spend most of your free time around us…" Ness trailed off. "Although, if you wanted to join my family, my mother said that you would be more than welcome."

"…Really?" Claus asked, his eyes widening and revealing the inner hope that had been previously squashed by the world around him.

"Of course!" Tracy answered. "We'd all welcome you!"

"Thanks," Claus whispered. "That really means a lot to me."

"So, what do you say?" Ness asked.

"I'm good on my own."

"Are… you sure?"

"Yeah. Your mom is single with two children. Having a third would put too much pressure on her."

"My mom said that she can spare enough money and energy to take care of you," Ness said.

"If that's the case, put that effort towards other people," Claus replied. "I can live on my own… so long as I have friends like you to talk to. Others don't. They need your help more than I."

_I never thought about it like that…_

"Wow," Ana said. "That takes a lot of guts to admit."

Claus smiled wryly.

"Yeah, it can be difficult to remember that as shitty as your life is, other people need help more."

Paula looked like she was going to comment on Claus' usage of profanity but said nothing.

"But hey, your sorrow and pain paved the way to greater empathy," Ana replied. "And that's why we're all here today, celebrating a victory for love!"

Claus nodded.

"That's a good way to look at it."

"Hey, Claus," Ana said, holding up her case of beer. "Do you want one?"

Claus shook his head.

"I've seen too many people get destroyed by that stuff. I'll pass."

Ana blinked.

"Damn, now _I _don't want any. Thanks, spoilsport."

The corners of Claus' mouth twitched upward.

"I cannot describe how wonderful it is to see all of you again," he said. "Every one of you is so… vibrant. I think that beauty in you keeps me going."

Ness smiled and patted Claus on the back.

"Things are about to get even more vibrant. Let's party for us and for all of the people out there who are now free to express their love for each other!"

Claus nodded.

"Dibs on the cookies!" he shouted, and in that moment, Ness could see some of Claus' childlike playfulness surface from its mutilated depths.


	34. Bonus Chapter 3: Forsaken

**Yeah, you're reading this right. I'm updating this story, even though it's been collecting virtual dust since June (July?). I figure why not, right? **

**Well, I found a pretty good reason why not after I finished writing this chapter. It's not that good. It actually reads like the chapters in this fic, even though my writing in Ceres (and even Time Distorter) is far superior. Needless to say, that was not a super inspiring revelation, but I decided to post this anyways because people liked this fic even with my scrubby writing. Even with fewer chapters, it got more views than Ceres even though Ceres is probably better.**

**...And I'm not going to respond to reviews from last chapter since it was like half a year ago (more?).**

**So yeah, here it is. Sorry if I ruined the excitement for you with my pessimism. ;)**

* * *

Kumatora tromped through the forest, snapping twigs and rustling leaves. She passed by a break in the towering maple trees where the sun shone through, illuminating a patch of ground below. The scene almost looked like a clearing from one of the fairy tales where forgotten bards would sing along with the birds.

Looking at the light and the trees, Kumatora hoped to feel some sort of awe. Nature was supposed to nourish, right? Shouldn't she feel something when faced with the magnificence of life? Relief, contentment, lightheartedness, _anything?_

Kumatora sighed. No, she could not see beauty yet. A sparrow sang a lonely song in the background. Just an attempt to impress females and get a mate. Just a biological process to keep the species alive.

Nothing more.

With every heartbeat, the flesh under her plated left cheek throbbed. It felt similar to the pain of a badly swollen thumb, except that the sensation spread across her entire cheek after each heartbeat. Additionally, while swollen thumbs healed, Kumatora's pain would never cease to torment her.

Her shoulders hunched at that sobering thought. It always felt like the pain existed to remind her how she was only one step ahead of death. She should have died in the pigmask base. She _did _die in the pigmask base.

Why was she still here?

A tingling sensation ran up her spine, almost as if death itself were running its fingers up her back. Kumatora whipped around, spotting only trees behind her. This unease was nothing new to her, but she still turned around every time.

With a sigh, Kumatora resolved to head back to her camp. She had caught a rabbit this afternoon that would make some fine stew. Spending more time contemplating her fate wouldn't accomplish anything.

As Kumatora walked through the forest, treading lightly and keeping an eye out for further prey, she wondered how much longer she could last on her own. Well, she could _survive _for as long as she wanted with her PSI, natural skills, and aid from the forest. But how much longer could her mind take it? How much longer until she pointed her arm cannon at her head and fired?

The sound of water flowing down the stream let Kumatora know that she was close. Kumatora didn't even need to scan the area to know where her cave was. She descended down to the bank of the stream, careful not to slip on the rocks. Of course, it didn't really _matter _if she fell flat on her face, but she resolved long ago to live like a full human. That meant caring for her body without relying on her PSI.

Kumatora picked the rabbit that she had killed earlier out from her cave. Luckily, none of the native animals made off with this one. Kumatora figured that she should really find a better way to protect the game that she hunted.

Oh, right. She had almost forgotten something important. Kumatora pulled a knife out from a sheath at her side and cut her thumb, feeling hot blood trickle down her finger and onto her palm. Kumatora brought up her bleeding thumb to the side of the cave wall and made a tally mark on it. Today, she completed her twentieth row of ten tally marks. 200 days out in the wild. 200 days alone.

Kumatora sighed, sticking her bleeding thumb in her mouth as she walked out of the cave. For the past 50 days, she had kept telling herself to make it to 200 days. That was the way that she could persuade herself to keep going. Just reach 200 days. Don't focus on what comes after.

But now she _did _have to focus on what came after. What would she tell herself now? To wait until 250 days? What about after that? When would it all end?

_You could go back to Claus, _A voice in her head suggested. _He loves you._

Kumatora pictured Claus' face. Naturally, he wore his determined smile even in her imagination. If he found a lost puppy, Claus would smile like that. If the world were ending, Claus would still smile like that.

Yet the reliability in his actions didn't make him seem any less compassionate. Kumatora knew that some men tried to be a pillar for others to lean on, never showing emotion themselves so that they could seem tough and dependable. Claus… He expressed more emotion than a person really had the right to. Kumatora remembered Claus when he was happy and sad, when he was laughing and crying. No matter what his state, he always looked ready to leap into action.

Maybe that was what attracted her to him. Claus never quit, while Kumatora had given up on the world long ago.

_You're not ready, _Kumatora told herself. _You can't love him yet. You say that you're attracted to him, but you still don't know what that really means yet._

Right. To find love, Kumatora had set out to look within herself in an isolated environment. That proved to be a hell of a lot harder than she expected.

Kumatora walked over to the pit that she used to start fires. She nodded in approval, noting the abundance of branches in her stockpile. She retrieved her pot from her cave and filled with water, promptly starting a fire and cooking the rabbit in the pot. As the smell of the stew wafted into her nose, Kumatora sat down and continued thinking about her role in this world.

Why shouldn't she kill herself? If she looked at the facts, then it lead to that conclusion. Kumatora wanted to live on her own alongside nature to prove that she was human enough to find beauty and love, but that plan seemed more like a desperate hope at this point. In truth, she wasn't really human, no matter what Claus told her. Everyone else knew it. Everyone else wanted her gone. Claus had just fooled her into thinking that she deserved a second chance.

And did Claus even care about her anymore? A lot could change in 200 days. Maybe Claus had forgotten about her. What if he had started dating another girl? He was charming and attractive enough that he wouldn't find the prospect difficult in the slightest, especially since he was probably hailed as a hero at this point. Kumatora pictured Claus kissing another girl and was surprised at the sudden burst of anger that made her want to kick the pot of stew over. It made no sense. By all reason, Claus _should _hook up with someone else. He deserved someone better than her, someone whole rather than broken and sloppily reconstructed.

That was the truth that Kumatora had ignored for 200 days. No matter who she was, she would never be good enough for Claus. He would always deserve someone like Paula or Ana who could make him happy, not a cyborg whom everyone wanted dead.

Kumatora stood up, inhaling sharply. Was that it? Should she really just give up after 200 days in the wilderness?

…Yes. She wasn't really human. The realm of the living rejected her. The best thing that she could do was to accept its judgement and pass onto the realm of the dead.

"Have you ever heard the saying 'Isolation makes wounds fester'?"

Kumatora snapped her head to the side where the voice came from. Nothing.

"Whoops, I forgot to make myself visible."

After a second, Lucas' ghost materialized in front of her, floating a few inches above the ground. He wore an open smile, far different from the shy Lucas that Kumatora vaguely remembered from the pigmask base. Kumatora reached out, her arm passing right through Lucas' transparent body. Yep, definitely incorporeal.

"There we go," Lucas' ghost said, looking proud of himself.

"Lucas," Kumatora said, keeping her expression neutral.

"Ah, is that the way that you greet everyone?" Lucas asked, his smile widening. "So cold. Don't worry; I won't bite. I _can't _bite, literally. Well, I technically can, but…" Lucas floated over and bit down on Kumatora's arm, his incorporeal teeth passing through her arm.

"Chatty," Kumatora noted.

"Ah, if you mean that I respond with more than one word at a time," Lucas said, wagging his finger.

"Hmph," Kumatora muttered.

"You're just proving my point!"

Kumatora looked at Lucas' beaming face and rolled her one real eye.

"You're obnoxious."

"Two words! Where are the reporters? Somebody has to cover this! Kumatora just replied with _two whole words._"

"…"

Lucas broke down laughing.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Humor keeps me from going insane. You should try it out sometime. But I'm not the Lucas that you know, so don't judge him for this. Call me Voice."

Kumatora grunted. She didn't intend to call him anything at all.

"And…" Voice trailed off. "I think that your stew is done."

Kumatora blinked, looking inside the pot. Yep, definitely done. Kumatora put the fire out, took the pot off, and poured some stew into a crude wooden bowl that she had made earlier.

"Don't bother offering _me _any…" Voice said.

"You're a ghost."

"That was a joke." Voice sighed. "Nobody appreciates my humor."

"Maybe if you were actually funny then someone would appreciate it," Kumatora muttered.

"Ouch," Voice said, his grin only widening. Looking up to the sky, "The weather seems nice today."

"It's not raining, if that's what you mean. But why do you even care?"

"I'm just trying to make small talk like a _friendly _person," Voice said. "You should try that out sometime."

Instead of responding, Kumatora sipped her stew.

"I didn't actually offend you there, did I?" Voice asked.

Well, what do you know. He actually looked a little concerned.

"You're just annoying."

"A _three_ word response!" Voice' face lit up.

Kumatora scowled.

"Sorry, sorry," Voice said, coughing nervously. "So."

"So what?" Kumatora asked.

"I want to talk to you about something serious, but I don't know how you'll react."

"You? Serious? Is that even possible?"

"I'm _plenty _serious," Voice said, sniffing.

"Mm hmm."

"I would slap you if I weren't a ghost."

"I would have slapped you a long time ago if _you _weren't a ghost," Kumatora said.

"Touché."

They sat there in silence, Kumatora sipping her stew for a few minutes.

"Well," Voice said. "You seem to be struggling with an existential crisis."

"Which is?" Kumatora asked.

"Going into a panic about the meaning of life and all that," Voice said as if it were an everyday occurrence. "Must be hard for you, huh? Since you're a cyborg?"

"I don't want your pity."

Voice sighed.

"I was hoping that you'd open up a little more."

"Why should I open up to a stranger? For all I know, seeing you means that I'm insane."

"All of the more reason to get _real _help, am I right?" Voice asked with a wink.

"I take it back," Kumatora said. "If I were insane, I would hear voices coming from people who don't make it their goal to piss me off."

"Oh, you never know," Voice said, his tone sagelike and his eyes forlorn. "Insanity can do a number of things to you. You'll learn as you grow older that things are rarely what they first appear, young'un."

"That's… a joke?" Kumatora asked.

"Yep," Voice said, his face reverting back to normal.

"Not funny."

"You're a harsh critic, do you know that? I would hand you my book to read, but I can't because I'm a ghost and even if I could, you'd probably tear it to shreds."

"You wrote a book?"

"That's another joke."

"…"

"I get it," Voice said with a sigh. "I'm not funny." His face perked up. "But hey, since you don't want to introduce yourself, maybe I can tell you a little bit about me!"

"Go ahead," Kumatora said. "At least that will prevent you from cracking any more of your 'jokes'."

"I'm offended," Voice said with a grin. "Now, where do I start? Okay, my name's Voice."

"…"

"Okay, okay, I'll cut the crap," Voice said. "Geez. Your death glare could make me piss my pants if I were alive, do you know that? Anyways, I don't come from this world. I'm a psion… er, PSI-user with basically omnipotent powers from an alternate dimension. But I'm dead, so I can't really do much anymore. Sucks to be me. Also, my real name is Lucas, but I call myself Voice so that nobody confuses me with the Lucas from this dimension."

"Omnipotent powers?" Kumatora asked. "Why the hell should I believe you?"

"Because Claus and his friends fought me before pulling the last needle."

"That was _you?_"

"Yeah. Lucas isn't that powerful. Porky killed his real body, so his cognitive essence hijacked mine. Weird stuff happens with dimensional travel."

"But since that body died, now you're both dead?"

"Basically, yeah." Voice's voice dropped to a whisper. "I do know you, Kumatora. I sat inside of Lucas' mind, viewing all of his experiences as an outsider. I saw your struggles."

Nope, nothing creepy about _that. _

"Ah, I know that it seems weird, but… Ah, psych it."

"Psych?" Kumatora asked.

"Whoops. It's a swear word from another dimension." Voice bit his ghost lip. "I really don't want you to kill yourself, Kumatora. Lucas' experiences… They were mine, too. Claus is still waiting for you. You have a future in front of you. Please don't throw that away."

"Why do you even care?" Kumatora asked.

"Because I'm still a human, even if I'm dead," Voice said. "We care about each other. Reciprocal altruism honed by evolution, god's will… However you want to explain it, we like to do favors for each other."

"I don't. I guess that's why I'm not a human."

"I think that you _can't_ care about anyone else because your own problems overwhelm you."

"Let's say that you're right, which you probably aren't," Kumatora replied. "I'm still someone who doesn't deserve to be part of society."

"No, that's not true!" Voice said. "The whole point of society is that we humans can lean on each other when we need to and give back once we're comfortable with it."

"So you want me to just stroll in and suck up a town's resources like a leech while giving nothing back."

"Yeah. Once you get comfortable with who you are, you'll be able to help out. Besides, I think that Claus wants you to come back. He wants to take care of you."

"Why?" Kumatora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why go through that work just for me?"

"Claus likes helping people," Voice said. "And who better to help than a lonely cyborg?"

"Anyone's better than me," Kumatora said. "Claus is a hero for pulling the needles and rebirthing the world. He could probably sleep with a different girl each night and leave them all giddy with excitement."

"But is that his style?"

Kumatora pictured Claus in her head again. Charming and quick to act, yes, but also determined to finish what he started. He wasn't the type to hook up for a night and they both knew it.

"I won't burden anyone else again," Kumatora said, changing the subject. "I need to solve my problems on my own."

"You don't have to," Voice said. "It's okay to rely on other people."

"Not after I've hurt them," Kumatora said, gritting her teeth. "Maybe I'll go back to Claus and civilized society. _Maybe. _But before that, I need to learn how to feel emotion for myself."

"Well, you're doing a good job feeling disgust around me."

"Not _that _kind of emotion. I want to feel love. I want to feel joy. But I don't really know what either of those experiences actually _feel _like."

"I think that you need someone to share your memories with," Voice said. "After that, those emotions will come naturally to you."

"Everyone except for Claus hates me," Kumatora said. "Besides, I won't let myself become someone else's problem."

"What if you find a friend who's not a human?" Voice asked. "Would you let yourself open up to them?"

"What do you mean? Are there other cyborgs like me?"

"Follow me," Voice said.

"I'm still eating." Kumatora took another sip of stew.

"Trust me, you'll want to see this."

"Look," Kumatora said, setting down her spoon. "I don't really trust you. For all I know, you could lead me into a trap."

"If I wanted to lure someone into a trap, why would I pick the person with both weapon implants and PSI?"

"Maybe you hate me because I'm a cyborg."

"Don't you think that you're stretching this a little?"

Well… maybe a _little. _

"Still," Kumatora said. "I'm eating. Whatever you want to show me can wait."

"I can help you make the pain go away," Voice whispered.

"What?" Kumatora asked, nearly spilling her stew. "How do you know-"

"It's not hard to tell. The left side of your face throbs with every heartbeat. Nothing that your PSI can do will fix that; I'm sure that you tried. There are temporary aids such as hypnotizing yourself not to feel pain, but I don't think that you want to live your entire life that way."

"And you think that you have some magic solution? Give me a break."

"Not a magic solution," Voice said, wagging his finger like a schoolteacher. "It won't make the pain disappear completely, but you'll find it more bearable."

Hmph. Even if this ghost were right, she still trusted him about as far as she could throw him… Which is to say not at all, since she couldn't even pick him up.

"Just let me finish eating first," Kumatora said. "If you stop bugging me, this will go more quickly."

"I think that you might want to save some food. Just a suggestion."

Kumatora glared at Voice.

"Maybe if you _told _me where you wanted to take me, I would actually listen to you."

"Sorry, sorry," Voice said, although his smile didn't exactly make him look remorseful. "You just _really _need to see this for yourself."

"You really aren't going to stop bugging me, are you? Fine, let's go. Just make it quick, all right?"

"And here I was thinking that you had all the time in the world," Voice said. "Follow me."

All the time in the world… Kumatora scowled. Just because she didn't have anything planned for the next couple of months didn't mean that she wanted to go wherever some ghost told her! Shaking her head, she followed Voice along the banks of the stream.

"Look," Voice said, pointing at the crystal-clear waters of the stream. "Fish."

"Have you never seen fish before?" Kumatora asked.

"Of course. I just think that they're cool. The way that they can breathe underwater still fascinates me." Voice cocked his head. "Although, I suppose that the process of breathing underwater evolved far before the process of breathing air. I guess we're the weird ones, huh?"

"Is this what you wanted me to see?" Kumatora asked. "Because you're only making the throbbing worse."

"No, no. I'm taking you somewhere else. I just like to talk about random subjects from time to time."

"Gee, you think?"

"Oh, so you _do _have a spark of humor in you!" Voice beamed. "I must be rubbing off on you."

_Somebody, kill me now, _Kumatora thought.

"I commented on your death glare before, but man oh man you are _scary,_" Voice said.

"Would you _please_ just shut up?"

"Nope! Come on, let's keep going. I can't believe that I let you stop me for this long."

"Wait," Kumatora said, hustling to catch up to Voice. "_I _stopped _you? _Listen here…"

"That was another joke," Voice said, "Designed to annoy you."

"Mission accomplished."

Voice adopted a cheesy grin.

"Do you have _any _friends?" Kumatora asked.

"Actually…" Voice's face turned downcast. "No, not really. All of the other dead people don't mess with the realm of the living. I'm the only one straddling between those two worlds."

Kumatora followed Voice in silence. No way that she was going to apologize to him after he made such a large effort to piss her off.

"I don't expect you to feel bad for me," Voice said, "But I think that we're kind of in the same boat. We don't belong in society, or at least we think that we don't. Nobody else really understands us. That's why we have to understand each other."

Something about Voice's words sparked something in Kumatora's heart. Pity, perhaps? Empathy?

"Even my family doesn't really get why I do this," Voice said. "And they do love me, but I don't think that they really _like _me. To them, I'm just clinging onto the past, clinging onto my memories of life."

"Are you?" Kumatora asked.

"No," Voice said. "I want to build a better future. I want to learn about all sorts of different worlds and how each one deals with their problems. This might sound silly, but…" Voice blushed. "I just want to figure out how human society works."

"You _just _want to figure out human society?" Kumatora asked. "Good luck, kiddo."

"I know," Voice said, leading Kumatora into a forest. "It's silly. But it keeps me moving forward. Surely you can empathize."

Right. Kumatora isolated herself in a forest and just expected to find the secret to happiness. It didn't make sense, it _never _made sense, but it kept her trudging along.

"What do you plan to do after that?" Kumatora asked.

"Don't know," Voice said, staring off into the distance. "I guess I'll find out later."

Kumatora fought down feelings of sympathy, annoyed at herself for caring about someone so obnoxious and manipulative.

"Are we almost there yet?" Kumatora asked.

"Yeah," Voice said. "Right here."

Below the canopy of the trees, Kumatora spotted a grey wolf lying down on the ground, whimpering. Upon spotting Kumatora, its ears pulled back and it tried to scoot away from her.

"Why doesn't it walk?" Kumatora asked.

"Broken leg," Voice explained. "The pack left it here to die."

"And…? Why should I care?"

"You need a friend. I see one right in front of you."

"The _wolf?_"

"Man's best friend," Voice said.

"Wolves aren't dogs and I'm not a man."

"Really? You're a girl? I would have never-"

"Shut it," Kumatora muttered. Voice broke into laughter. "And stop laughing at your own terrible jokes!"

"Sorry," Voice said, although his closed mouth appeared to barely contain further laughs. "So are you going to heal the wolf?"

"I don't see why I should," Kumatora replied.

"You can hear animals, right? Just listen to what it's saying."

The wolf continued to whimper. While the wolf didn't always talk in words, it didn't take long for Kumatora to pick up the basic message of its whines. The wolf knew that it would die soon and every system in its body struggled against that inevitable fate. But more than that, the wolf surprised Kumatora with its bitterness.

_Betrayed, _Kumatora picked up from the wolf's whimpers. _They left me here to die!_

That message came through so clearly that Kumatora covered her ears. She bit her lip, trying to stop those words from echoing in her mind.

"Forsaken," Voice whispered. "Cast out of society. Someone who might get a second lease on life. Sound similar to anyone that you know?"

"You're saying that the wolf and I share the same problems," Kumatora said.

_BETRYAED! _The wolf howled.

"Yes," Voice said. "And the wolf needs the help even more than you do."

"Then why didn't you help him before?"

"It's a she, I think," Voice said, "And I let lots of animals die, including humans. I'm not supposed to mess with the living world, remember? I'm only doing this because of Lucas' past with you."

"That's cold," Kumatora said, taking cautious steps towards the injured wolf.

"Colder than the other cognitive spirits who don't care about the living at all?"

"I suppose not."

"Speak to her," Voice whispered. "Since you're a psio-I mean PSI-user, she can hear your words."

Kumatora gulped. She couldn't even handle social interactions with other humans, much less with a wolf.

"Don't be scared," Kumatora said, trying to sound firm. "I can make you feel better."

The wolf's ears perked up. Kumatora kept walking closer.

"Yeah," Kumatora said. "I'll help you. You're going to be fine."

The wolf whimpered.

"Just hang in there," Kumatora said. She reached out to the wolf and touched it. "Lifeup."

Faster than Kumatora could believe, the wolf hopped on its feet, wagging its tail. It looked into Kumatora's eye with what could only be appreciation.

_Thank you! _Kumatora picked up, although the wolf hadn't actually vocalized anything. _I can run and hunt again. _

"I can hear her clearly," Kumatora said. "But the words come out more like pictures or ideas than actual language."

"Right," Voice said. "That's how we PSI-users communicate with non-human animals. And if I'm not mistaken, I think that she wants to join you."

Kumatora looked back at the wolf. It sat down, wagging its tail expectantly.

"Your pack abandoned you, right?" Kumatora asked. "If you want to live with me, you can."

_Sure! _Kumatora picked up. _I will follow nice creature._

"Wolves communicate more with body cues than anything else," Voice said. "So you can 'hear' those cues even when the wolf doesn't speak anything out loud, if that makes any sense."

"It kind of does, actually," Kumatora said. "It feels a lot like hearing telepathic messages."

"Now," Voice said. "How does the throbbing feel?"

Kumatora blinked. Before Voice pointed it out, she had forgotten about it. That hadn't happened since she tried to kill Fassad under the streets of New Pork City.

"If you find someone else to distract your mind with, the pain doesn't hurt as much, does it?" Voice asked.

"I guess you're right," Kumatora said. "Do you think that this might actually help me discover who I am?"

"I really do," Voice said. "Instead of finding yourself to join society, you should join society to find yourself. Even if society is just caring for an animal companion. Now, if you'll excuse me, I probably shouldn't linger here for much longer."

"What about you?" Kumatora asked. "Didn't you say that you're alone?"

"I'll survive," Voice said. Cocking his head, "Or stay dead, I guess. There really isn't anyone else like me, Kumatora. I don't think that I can find someone else to connect with. Even you haven't seen half of what I have. It might be a little arrogant, but it's true."

Kumatora looked into Voice's eyes and saw an ocean of pain. She looked into its depths and found no floor where the pain stopped. No wonder he used humor to cover up that secret.

"Really," Voice said. "I have it better than most people do. My family loves me. I'm doing what I want. Don't worry about me too much, all right?"

"Fine," Kumatora said.

Voice nodded. Even his smile couldn't cover up the sorrow in his eyes.

"See you around," he said.

"Goodbye," Kumatora said, "And thank you."

As Voice vanished once more from the realm of the living, Kumatora turned back to the wolf. She didn't know if an animal companion would actually help with her emotional struggles, but it didn't hurt to try, right?

"Follow me," Kumatora said to the wolf. "I know that this probably isn't your first choice, but I have some nice rabbit stew back at my shelter."

Kumatora turned around and started walking back to her cave, surprised at how good it felt to have a friend padding along next to her.


End file.
